


A Never Ending Bond

by Donatellosgirl36



Series: Bound [25]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Family Drama, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-01
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-07-19 11:49:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 47,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7360153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Donatellosgirl36/pseuds/Donatellosgirl36
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leo and Shinta must face their greatest challenge yet. Plagued by the warning of the demon, Leo is slowly losing control. He will do anything to protect his son, but at what cost. Past and present collide in this epic battle for souls and life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pressure

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own the Ninja Turtles.
> 
> A/N: I would like to dedicate this story to all those who have followed me along this journey. We’ve had our ups and downs, cried some tears and had some laughs. I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. Now the final episode in the Bound series begins. Take a deep breath, because we are jumping in head first…

Jamie stepped into the dojo and frowned. They were at it again. She couldn’t understand it. How were they keeping up this training for twelve hours a day? Leo looked pensive and Shinta looked exhausted. The teen now wore his own blue mask since taking his test and being granted the full rank of ninja. He’d been forced to fight weaponless against his formidable elders who were armed. But Shinta had wasted no time in collecting them from his family – a katana from Leo, Don’s bo, one of Mikey’s nunchakus. Raph had managed to keep his weapons from his nephew but he’d been disarmed using Leo’s katana. It had been an amazing sight watching the teen twirl and spin keeping the older turtles at bay. And everyone had showered him with praise afterwards.

But that had been the last time Jamie had seen Leo smile and she knew why. Amaya’s warning was stuck on a loop inside his mind, mixing with the memory of her death and creating horrible imaginings. His nightmares had started shortly after the family had returned to the city and they only seemed to be intensifying as time went on. Each time he’d wake in a cold sweat, she would try to comfort him. But he only seemed to become more distant. He’d even taken to sleeping on the couch the last few nights.

Well, she was not going to keep putting up with it. If she was anything, it was stubborn. She was not going to let Leo or Shinta live in fear. It was time to put an end to this. “Leo?” She moved closer to him, stopping just off the mats. “Leo? Don’t you think that’s enough for now?”

He didn’t look at her. “No.”

Her eyes narrowed and she slipped out of her shoes, before moving forward again. “Leo?” This time he looked down at her as she stepped up beside him. His eyes narrowed slightly. She knew she was interrupting but that was exactly what she needed to do. “He’s exhausted. Let him rest for a little while. You could use some rest too.”

“No, not yet.” He said flatly, his eyes on Shinta again.

Jamie frowned. What had gotten into him? Why was he ignoring her? She felt her ire rise. “Leonardo! That is enough! You can’t keep doing this to him or to yourself!”

“Yame!” Leo called and Shinta stopped his kata, going into an attention stance. He watched in puzzlement as his father turned to glare at Jamie. “I am sensei here. I say when enough is enough!”

Jamie set her jaw and returned the glare with just as much intensity. She pushed herself up on her toes, so she could be eye to eye with him. “You may be their sensei! But you are not mine! You are my husband!” Shinta was slightly amused when his father took a step back. “And he is just as much my son as he is yours! And I say enough is enough!”

Leo looked away. “You don’t understand.”

Jamie folded her arms. “You don’t think I understand? I was there when she told us about the demon. I know what it feels like to lose someone you love.” Her gaze shifted to Shinta. “And I know it’s terrifying to think of losing someone else.”

“That’s not the same thing.” Leo muttered, still not looking at her.

She frowned at him. “My spouse died. My _child_ died. I don’t see how this could not possibly be the same thing.”

Leo finally turned back to her. “It’s not! They were killed in an accident – a horrible accident but it was still an accident! Someone didn’t break into your home with the very intention of killing someone you love! And now it’s just a matter of time before it happens again!”

“No! It won’t happen again! Things are different now! We know-“

“We know nothing!” Leo growled.

Jamie’s eyes widened and then narrowed. “Fine.” She strolled across the mat to Shinta, who shot Leo a worried look. She leaned up to whisper in his ear. “If it gets to be too much you’ll tell me, won’t you?” Shinta gave a small nod, his gaze never leaving his father’s. “I love you.” She kissed his cheek warmly and turned to leave the room, never looking at Leo.

When the door to the dojo shut, Leo dropped his face into his hand with a groan. Well, he’d royally screwed that up. She was more than ticked at him and he hadn’t missed the look in her eye either. She was upset, but he had no idea how to fix it. What he’d said was true. The situations had been different and they still were. But he felt guilty about bringing her family into it.

Shinta’s hand landed on his arm. “She’s just as worried as we are, Father. She’s just…handling it differently. Should we get back to training?”

Leo shook his head. “No.” He needed to clear his head. “Go mediate and get some rest. We’ll start again tomorrow.”

Shinta frowned but did as his father asked, leaving him alone in the dojo. As he entered the lobby converted to living room, Sarah shot him a worried look. Her eyes darted to the door that led into the back of Jamie’s shop. It was impossible for them to have not heard the fight his father and step-mother had just had. Sarah’s brown eyes were filled with concern. “Shinta…”

He sighed. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”

“Yeah, well, it don’t sound like Leo is.” Raph leaned forward to look at his nephew. “Jamie seemed pretty mad too.”

Sarah snorted. “Well, she has a right to be. Leo has been pushing him too hard lately.”

Donnie pinched between his eyes. Leo’s little boot camp was starting to affect them all. “He’s just worried about what Amaya said.”

Sarah gave him an annoyed look. “I know that. But he doesn’t have to act the way he has.” She got up and walked around to Shinta. “We’re in this together.” She pulled him into an embrace, which he had to lean down to accept. It was still strange that he was taller than her now. “So if he pushes you too hard, we’re going to put a stop to it.”

Shinta gave a small nod. “Thanks.” He forgot sometime that he really had three mothers. Sarah had raised him most of his life until Jamie had come along. It was strange to think that had been a mere seven years ago, because it felt like so much longer. And then there was Amaya. Although she was not alive, he had met her recently and she had sworn to help him however she could. He released Sarah, giving her a small smile. “I think I’ll take advantage of the down time to catch up on some of the books Uncle Don got me.”

Donnie piped up. “Oh, yeah, that reminds me. I found another book on Shinto prayers and charms. I left it on your bed.”

He smiled. “Thanks, I’ll take a look at it. There are still a few things I didn’t fully grasp from my little tutorial.”

“You’re lucky you got one at all.” Cat pointed out from her place beside Raph. She was doing as he’d asked, trying to easy back into working and only doing so when she felt well enough. Donatello was still keeping a watchful eye on her condition, making sure that it didn’t happen again. But his watchfulness was nothing compared to Raph, who barely let her out of his sight now.

Shinta gave a solemn nod. “Yeah, I am.” He turned to trudge up the stairs, past Mikey who was playing ball with his great-nephew. Shinta mulled over the lessons he’d learned from his mother as he climbed the three flights. Donnie hadn’t gotten around to installing an elevator yet, not that he was certain his uncle would be the one to put it in. He’d noticed that the brothers were slowly releasing some of the responsibilities to the younger generation. They didn’t even patrol much anymore. So, it was possible that Mira or K-three would eventually put one in.

Raph and Cat were allowing K-three, Kaz, and Yoshi to manage the garage. Mira and Ona were often out there with them helping out. Cat still went out there sometimes but not on a regular basis and not without her escort. Shinta grinned at the thought. Raph shadowed his spouse most of the time and especially when she was in the garage. Sometimes he’d see his aunt roll her eyes when Raph became too overprotective.

He pushed open his door and crossed the room to look out at the garage below. It was already nearing dusk and the sky was turning pink. His cousins would be coming inside soon, which meant a lot more commotion. If he wanted to get any studying done, he’d have to do it now.

&*&*&*&*&*&*

Leo stared at the door leading to the living room and frowned. He knew they were talking about him, even though he couldn’t hear them. With a huff, he marched to the weapons wall and picked up one of the new holo-projectors. If he hung around here, he’d only get in a fight with one of them. He needed some space.

As he stepped out the back door, the group led by K-three approached him. The Turtleoid frowned. “Everything okay, Leo?”

“Yeah, I’m just going for a walk.” Leo didn’t meet his eyes as he turned and walked away.

Mira frowned, sensing her uncle’s distress. “I don’t think he’s fine at all.”

“He wouldn’t be, not with all this talk about that demon.” Kaz folded his arms, watching the receding figure of his uncle disappear into the growing darkness.

Yoshi snorted. “Yeah, well, I don’t care about some stupid demon or whatever. He needs to back off Shinta. He’s never worked any of us like he’s doin’ the kid.”

K-three opened the door and they followed him inside. Kaz stopped to glare at Yoshi. “He has his reasons. You just don’t remember Aunt Amaya, because you were still a baby when she died.”

“I was not!” Yoshi snarled. “And I do remember her.” He paused, his expression dropping a little. “Well, mostly.”

Mira put up her hands. “Calm down, Kaz. It’s not his fault he was still small when it happened. He was only six.” She shuddered as memories flowed back to her. “He doesn’t remember things like we do.” _And you don’t have to remember what I do_. The gruesome scene on the garage floor, all the blood, her mother’s tears, and Leo’s hysteria. They were memories she had desperately tried to bury.

K-three frowned at her and pulled her gently into his arms. Kaz dropped his chin. “Sorry.” Ona laid her hand on his arm, dark eyes full of understanding.

Yoshi looked at the two couples and sighed inwardly. What he’d give for the comfort they afforded each other. “It’s okay. I think I’ll check on Shinta though.” He left them, heading for the living room. His parents looked up as he entered.

“How’d it go?” Raph rumbled.

“Fine. All locked up.” Yoshi turned without further comment and headed up the stairs. He didn’t bother to stop on the second floor where his own bedroom was, instead climbing on up to the fourth. He knocked at Shinta’s door and waited. A moment later the younger turtle opened it. He frowned at him. His cousin looked exhausted and something else was bothering him too. “Hey, you okay?”

Shinta sighed, turning and dropping his book on the nightstand. “I don’t know. Dad and Jamie had a fight…about me.”

Yoshi’s frown intensified as he stepped inside and flopped into a beanbag in one corner. “What about?”

“She thinks he’s working me too hard.” Shinta looked out the window at the now dark city.

Yoshi snorted. “Well, she’s right. He acts like he and you are the only ones in this thing. But you’re not.” Shinta turned to look into his cousin’s intense green eyes. “We’re in this together. And I for one, ain’t lettin’ nobody touch you.”

The corners of Shinta’s mouth lifted into a tiny smile. “I know. But what you don’t realize is that _I_ am the only one that will know this demon when it shows up. It can look and act like anyone. Demons can body jump. So, even if I find it once, I might not be able to find it again. And if that happens this will just go on and on, and we’ll never have any peace.”

“You sound like you got a plan.”

“I’m working on one. I know I’ll only have one shot at this. I’ve been looking through all the books that Dad and Uncle Don have gotten me. I think there is a way to trap it and then destroy it. But I’m still working on the last part. There are a lot of ways to trap an evil spirit but I haven’t found much about destroying it entirely.” He sighed. “I know my mother could do it though, so there has to be a way.”

Yoshi suddenly stood. “Well, you want to know what I think?”

“Not really.” Shinta teased with a smirk.

Yoshi snorted again and continued undeterred. “I think all this talk of demons needs to take a break for a while. Come on, we’re goin’ out.”

Shinta raised an eye ridge. “You’re kidding, right?” Yoshi folded his arms and Shinta groaned. “You’re not. Yoshi, I can’t go out. Dad barely lets me go on patrols. If he finds out I went out without telling him, I won’t have to wait for the demon, because _he’ll_ kill me!”

Yoshi took hold of him and pushed him out the door. “Then he won’t find out.”

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

Shinta stared at the entrance with its flashing black lights and neon painted sign. The teens entering were just as colorfully decorated with bright colored hair and body paint. He frowned. “Please tell me you are not serious?”

Yoshi grinned, draping an arm across Shinta’s shoulders. “It’s just an arcade, little buddy. There ain’t nothin’ to be scared of.”

Shinta squared his shoulders. “I didn’t say anything about being scared.” He narrowed his eyes and started for the door. “Come on.”

Yoshi’s grin widened as he followed after him. It was about time he got his cousin to loosen up. There was a bouncer near the door, but he wasn’t really doing much just keeping out the kids that hadn’t paid. Yoshi held up two fingers at the guy inside the booth. There was no way he could hear him speak over the blaring music. The man nodded and held up ten fingers in return. The turtle pulled a ten from his pocket and shoved it under the window. The man shoved two glowing bracelets back through.

Slipping on one, Yoshi leaned down to yell in Shinta’s ear. “See? No big deal.” He held the other out and the younger turtle put it on. The bouncer let them in and they stopped just inside the door. The place was more than just an arcade. It was more like a club with an open space near the center where teens were gyrating to the pounding music. And to one side was a bar that served nonalcoholic beverages.

As they walked further in, Shinta glared at his cousin in the strobing lights. “You’ve been here before.” It wasn’t a question but an accusation.

Yoshi chuckled. “Yeah, a few times. In a place like this if you get brushed up against, no one’s gonna notice. Besides, these kids are just as weird as us.”

Shinta laughed. “Speak for yourself. I’m not weird at all. I’m the coolest.”

Yoshi chuckled and pointed to a pair of racing consoles that were open. “Tell me that after I whip your shell.”

“You’re on!”

They jumped into the racers, which Yoshi won the best out of three. Then the killed some zombies where Shinta got the highest score. They decided to play some air-hockey to break the tie. Shinta laughed while Yoshi smack talked. After the fourth game, Shinta moved to Yoshi’s side as he was pulling out some more money. “Hey, I think that girl over there is checking you out.”

“You mean checkin’ out my holo.” But Yoshi couldn’t help but look. A girl that had to be close to his age was leaning against a console beside another girl who was playing the game. She had blonde hair but the tips were dyed black. The lights flickered across her face and he saw a pair of pale blue eyes watching him beneath long bangs. The look she gave him was both cool and challenging at the same time.

Shinta elbowed him. “Bro, you’re staring.”

Yoshi immediately looked back down at what he was doing. “How about after this round we get somethin’ to drink?”

Shinta blinked at him. “Really, bro, you’re just gonna ignore her?”

“Yep. She ain’t interested in me. She’s interested in this damn holo-projection.” Yoshi pushed the last coin into the slot. “Now get your butt back over there, so I can whip it again.”

Shinta looked from his cousin to the girl that was still watching him and sighed. Yoshi was right, when they were out like this, all the outside world saw was the false image. It was hard to meet anyone when you had to hide who and what you really were. He shuffled back over to the other end of the table and was soon engrossed in the game again. Shinta rubbed his win in Yoshi’s face as they walked to the bar.

“Don’t get to cocky, bro. I’m gonna tear you apart on that alien invaders game.” Yoshi leaned against the bar. “Hey, man, can I get a Coke?”

“And a water.” Shinta told the bartender, who was also a teenager.

“Can I have a Mountain Dew?” A female voice called from the other side of Yoshi. Both turned to see the blonde girl from earlier. She smiled at Yoshi. “Hey, big guy. I saw you get your butt kicked just now by your friend there.”

Yoshi snorted and tried to look uninterested. “He’s my cousin and I let him win.”

“You did not!” Shinta protested, but couldn’t help the small laugh.

She glanced at him and grinned. “I think I have to agree with the kid. Looked like you were trying to win to me.”

Yoshi smirked. “I bet I could beat you. As a matter of fact, I think he could.” He jabbed his thumb at Shinta.

The girl took the challenge without even a flinch, her pale blue eyes sparkling. “Oh, yeah, put your money where your mouth is, big guy.”

“The name’s Yoshi and you got a deal.” He grinned at her, unable to remove his eyes from hers.

She smiled back. “Mine’s Star.”

Shinta rolled his eyes as the bartender brought over the three drinks. Star started to pull out her money, but Yoshi waved her away. “I got it.” He handed over the money and took up his drink. He turned to look around. “Where’d your friend get to?”

Star popped open her can. “She had to go home. Something about curfew.”

Yoshi glanced back down at her. “Do you have a curfew?”

It was her turn to snort. “Nope. I got no one to report to.”

Yoshi grinned. “Good, now how about that match. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

“Yeah, let’s see.” She headed for the air-hockey table, which luckily was still unoccupied.

Yoshi swatted Shinta on the shoulder. “Come on.”

Shinta smiled. “Nah, bro. I think this one is all yours. I’ll stay here.”

Yoshi frowned. It wasn’t a good idea for them to split up. There were way too many humans around. “No way.”

“Bro, you’ll be less than twenty feet away. And I can see you from here.” Shinta indicated the clear line of sight between them and the air-hockey table.

Yoshi continued to frown, but he had to admit Shinta was right. “You’ll stay right here?”

Shinta nodded. “Yeah, bro. Go see if she’s interested in more than that holo.”

Yoshi couldn’t help but smile. “Okay, holler if you need me.”


	2. Everyone Makes Mistakes

Leo stuffed his hands in his jacket as he shuffled along the street. Amaya’s words and Jamie’s rolled around inside his head fighting with his own thoughts. Amaya had said the demon would know and come after Shinta, but it had been more than a year since she had appeared to them beneath the trees in North Hampton. And so far things had been running very smoothly. The garage had been built, Jamie’s music shop had been moved into part of their new home, and Shinta was growing stronger every day. And maybe that was the problem. The knowledge that this threat was coming, but never knowing when or how was killing him. The anticipation had turned to anxiety. He needed to protect his son, but how could he do that when he couldn’t even see his enemy.

Jamie was right. He had been riding Shinta hard lately, probably much harder than he should have. But the truth was he was scared. Scared that Amaya’s prediction would come true, scared that Shinta would have to fight this demon alone, and downright petrified that he would lose. His worry went beyond his son as well. If the demon attacked, it would threaten their entire family. Once again he wished there was some way to defeat it, to destroy it utterly so it could never be a danger again.

Amaya had taught Shinta all that she could. But she had used up all her energy in the process and likely would be little help in the future. That meant it was up to Shinta to spot the demon in time and hopefully defeat it.

Leo sighed, his shoulder slumping. He was letting the whole situation get to him, he knew that. But it also hadn’t excused his behavior earlier. Jamie was just trying to take care of Shinta, just like she always had. He could tell she was also worried about him. The nightmares were keeping both him and her awake at night. That’s why he decided to start sleeping on the couch. That and he didn’t want to accidentally hurt her when he woke with the lingering of the horrific dreams in his eyes.

He cringed inwardly as he remembered waking a few nights ago with her wrists held tightly in his hands. She had been pleading with him to wake up, tears sparkling in her eyes. He had immediately released her hands to pull her against him and beg for her forgiveness. She had given it immediately, asking over and over if he was alright. The fear in her voice had nearly crushed him. He wasn’t certain if she was afraid of him or afraid of what was happening to him, but he knew he couldn’t let it anything like that happen again.

Subconsciously he turned towards home. He needed to talk to her and see if maybe they could work things out and come to some sort of compromise. He remembered the fire in her eyes during their fight and couldn’t help the small smile. She had spirit that was for certain. She had been prepared to fight off three thugs with a lamp the night they’d first met in order to protect Shinta. It was one of the qualities he loved so much about her – her protectiveness. If she thought any of them were being harmed or were in danger she’d step in just as fast as he would. But that too was a danger to her as she was not a ninja and couldn’t defend herself like he could. He let out another heavy sigh as he turned down another street where a teen’s club was blaring music.

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

Shinta smiled as he watched his cousin stroll over to the blonde haired girl. Star did seem genuinely interested in him, which was somewhat surprising. Shinta smirked. _If she only knew what she was getting into._ Yoshi could be just as gruff as his father a lot of the time.

He chuckled to himself as he took a sip of his water. Something tickled his senses and he looked to his left where a guy was stepping up to the bar. Something about him made Shinta’s skin crawl. Taking a deep breath, he tried to focus like his mother had shown him. This was the first time he’d put the new skills to actual use. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, he nearly jumped. The boy beside him seemed to be emanating a blackish aura.

“What?” The teen spat, eyeing him back.

Shinta shifted away from him. “Um, nothing…”

The guy’s eyebrow rose and Shinta felt his pulse pick up. But when boy’s eyes narrowed and flickered black, Shinta scrambled away from the bar. This, however, was the wrong move. “You can see me.” The boy growled.

“N-No. I mean I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Shinta backed away, but bumped into someone behind him. He looked back to see another youth with the same black aura. _Uh, oh!_ Looking around he now saw several others watching him. They knew. It was just like his mother had predicted. “Yoshi!” He barely got the name out before he was being attacked. There were six in all – five boys and one girl. Shinta ducked and dodged as they began swinging at him.

He grabbed the prayer beads in his pocket, where he’d thankfully decided to stash them as he’d been ushered out the door, and pulled them over his head. They would give him some level of spiritual protection. A fist made contact with the side of his head and he returned the favor with one of his own. “Yoshi!” He kicked at another, sending him over the bar.

Yoshi looked up at the shout and the commotion. He knew instantly that something was wrong. “Damn it!” He threw down his striker and barreled into the brawl, not giving Star any kind of explanation. He threw aside one of the guys. “Shinta!” He put them shell to shell. “What the hell is goin’ on, bro?”

Shinta slammed a fist into one boy’s stomach. “They’re possessed by demons!”

Yoshi hit another square in the jaw, sending him down like a load of bricks. “You got to be joking! This lot ain’t smart enough to be possessed by demons!”

Shinta tossed the girl over his head and into the crowd that was gathering around them. “Don’t hurt them, Yoshi! They don’t know what they’re doing! They’re still human!”

Yoshi blinked as the one he’d sent to the ground was back on his feet. He’d never seen someone take a direct blow from him and actually get up afterwards. “I ain’t so sure ‘bout that.”

“We need to get out of here!” Shinta caught a guy’s foot aimed at his head and threw him to the side.

Yoshi growled, fighting the urge to pull his tekko-kagi. His eyes latched onto the door. “One exit comin’ up!”

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

Leo was about halfway down the block when there was a sudden commotion near the entrance to the club. People scrambled out of the way as several forms tumbled out the door. The black lights made it hard to see and he squinted into the dimness. Two shapes fought side-by-side, their movements remarkably familiar. A passing car’s headlights illuminated them momentarily and his jaw dropped. “Shinta? Yoshi?” He narrowed his eyes as he watched the figures go down and then spring right back up with inhuman speed. He growled and bounded into the fray.

Shinta spun around at the sound of his father’s battle cry. “Father, what are you doing here?”

“I think I’m the one that should be asking you that!” Leo knocked two thugs out at the same time.

“Don’t blame him! This was my idea!” Yoshi threw another into a wall, punching out a second.

Shinta took down the two in front of him and Leo growled again. “Later! Now, move it!” Both Shinta and Yoshi shot across the street into an alley followed swiftly by Leo. When they were on the roof and safe, their elder turned to them with a glare. “We’ll talk about this when we get home.” He didn’t let either of them respond as he turned and leapt to the next building. Yoshi and Shinta exchanged worried looks before hurrying after him. They didn’t want to anger him any more than he already was. When they reached home, they entered through the dojo.

Yoshi felt guilt build inside him. He’d talked Shinta into going, but then again they’d been having fun prior to the fight. All he’d wanted was for him to relax a bit and take a night off from worrying about demons. His shoulders slumped. That had obviously not worked out like he’d hoped. “Uncle Leo, this was my fault. I talked Shinta into goin’, he didn’t really want to.”

Leo stood with his back to them, his body trembling with rage. Finally, he spun on them. “What were you thinking! Both of you! Are you insane! You know what kind of danger you are in, Shinta! This is complete irresponsible!”

Shinta’s eyes dropped to the floor, making Yoshi growl. “I was tryin’ to help! You’ve been workin’ him to death! He needed a break!”

“And you thought taking him out and getting him into a fight was going to help!” Leo seethed.

“I didn’t intend on gettin’ into a fight! We were just havin’ fun!”

“You call beating up a bunch human kids, fun! You could have really hurt someone!”

“Demons.” Shinta corrected softly.

Leo’s head snapped around. “What?”

“They were possessed by demons.” Shinta didn’t have to look up to know the shock and terror that crossed his father’s face.

Leo felt his heart plummet to his feet. “Demons….” His body shook with rage and fear. “You’re both grounded. Neither of you will leave the lair without my permission. Is that clear!”

Yoshi glowered. “I’m not a child!”

“You are a member of this clan! You will obey me!”

“Leo!” Raphael’s voice came sharply from behind him. Leo turned to see his brothers crossing the dojo. Huddled in the doorway was the rest of the family, staring with wide eyes and open mouths. For his part, Raph was outright scowling. “What the shell is goin’ on here!”

Leo returned the glare with one of his own. “They snuck out and were attacked by demons!”

“I didn’t know there were going to be demons there!” Yoshi protested. “It’s just an arcade!”

Leo turned his fury back on the younger turtle. “You put Shinta’s life in danger!”

Raph was suddenly between the two, his eyes narrowed. “Back off Leo! If Yoshi says he didn’t know, then he didn’t.” Raph’s voice was level but the threat was clear. Yoshi felt a wave of relief pass over him. He was skilled, but nowhere near the master that Leo was. His father on the other, had a far better chance at fighting him off. And with the crazed look in Leo’s eyes at the moment, it looked like he might have to do just that.

“I am the head of this family, Raphael!” Leo snarled. “I will determine what-“

“You may be, but Yoshi is my son! I will deal with him!” Raph’s eyes flashed with rage.

Leo’s fists twitched at his side and before he knew what he was doing, he’d swung. Raph blocked him and in the same moment Leo was taken to the floor. “Calm down, bro!” Mikey said from on top of him.

Donnie was also holding him down. “Leo, you need to stop! You’re not acting like yourself!”

Leo struggled beneath his brothers for a moment. Why was everyone suddenly against him? Didn’t they understand he was trying to protect them all? His body felt suddenly exhausted and he sagged beneath them. Mikey’s hand squeezed his shoulder. “That’s it, bro. Just breathe.”

Raph’s voice was low and gruff behind them. “Yoshi, take Shinta to your room. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Yoshi nodded and quietly took Shinta by the shoulders leading him from the room. Leo lifted his head just slightly, when Raph marched around in front of him. He wasn’t surprised when his brother knelt and jabbed a finger in his face. “What the shell is your problem, Leo! I have half a mind to beat some sense into you!”

There was a sharp gasp from the door. “What are you doing!” Jamie sprinted across the room to where the others had Leo pinned. She could tell right away that this was no sparing match. Raph looked angry enough to tear Leo’s head off. She shoved him away as she knelt in front of Leo. “Get off him!”

“You don’t understand, Jamie! He was gonna hurt somebody!” Raph protested. But both Don and Mikey removed themselves from their brother’s shell.

As soon as they were off, she pulled Leo’s head into her lap. He didn’t resist, instead wrapping his arms around her waist and bury his face against her. She clutched at him as he shuddered. She scowled at the others. “No, you’re the ones that don’t understand the pressure he’s under!”

“Yes, we do.” Don said solemnly. He squatted down beside them. “Remember what Master Splinter told you, Leo. You may be the head of this family, but we are here to bear the burden with you. All you need to do is ask.”

He stood and they left the room, leaving Leo and Jamie alone. For a long time they didn’t move, his arms tight around her and his breathing shallow and fast. When he finally calmed, he turned his head to speak. “I thought….I thought you were mad at me?”

“I was. I am.” She sighed, stroking his head. “But I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, Leo. I love you.” She smiled ever so slightly. “Even if you are pigheaded at times.”

“I’m not a pig. I’m a turtle.” He mumbled pathetically into her midsection.

Her smile widened a little more. “You’re not just any turtle. You’re my turtle.” She kissed the top of his head.

He slowly sat back to look at her with sad and exhausted eyes. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

She cupped his face, bringing their foreheads together. “I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I…I’m just as worried as you are. Maybe even more.”

His hands wrapped around her, holding her neck gently and running his fingers through her hair. “Why?”

“Because I’m scared that I could lose both of you.” Her voice broke a little as a tear trickled down her cheek. “I can’t do that. I can’t lose you too.”

His breath caught sharply and he pulled her roughly against him. “You’re not going to lose me.”

Her voice was now choked with tears. “I’m already losing you.”

His arms tightened around her. “No, you’re not.”

“Then why have you been sleeping on the couch? Why won’t you talk to me?”

For the second time that night, his heart fell. “I just don’t…want to hurt you.”

She leaned back to look at him, honey colored eyes full of conviction. “You could never hurt me, Leo. Not unless you push me away. Please don’t push me away.”

“Never.” He murmured a moment before his lips crushed hers. Jamie melted against him, whimpering in that soft submissive way that drove him crazy. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and he deepened the kiss. When he released her, she was gasping for air. He dropped his face to her neck, nuzzling against it. He was so tired and it felt so good to hold her. It may have been less than a week since he’d last laid beside his wife, but it felt like it had been forever.

Her fingers stroked his head and neck. “Come on, let’s go to bed. You could use a good night’s rest.” She wouldn’t ask any more of him than that tonight. All she wanted was for him to sleep.

“Shinta?” He mumbled against her throat.

“You can talk to him tomorrow. It’ll give you both time to cool off.”

“Okay.” He said softly as she released him and stood. She offered him a hand and he took it gratefully. When was the last time he’d slept through the whole night? She pulled him gently towards the door, while he thought of how he needed to apologize to Yoshi and Raph as well.

Waiting in the hall beyond the dojo were Donatello and Sarah. Both gave them worried looks. Don extended a mug of tea. “Here, Leo. This will help you sleep. Maybe in the morning you’ll feel a little better.”

Leo nodded, taking a sip. The liquid had already cooled significantly, so he downed the rest and handed it back to his brother. “Thanks, Donnie.” Sarah touched his arm warmly as they moved past them into the living room. Mira, K-three, Mikey and Kala all looked up with the same amount of worry in their eyes. Cat, who was pacing near the large wooden front door, turned her own concerned gaze on him. She bit her lip, her emerald eyes shimmering with confusion and hurt. Leo dropped his gaze to the floor. He wanted to apologize to her as well, but Jamie was already pulling him up the stairs.

On the first landing, Leo paused as he heard Raph, Yoshi and Shinta talking. The urge to reconcile with his son was nearly overwhelming. Jamie’s hand pressed against his plastron, made him look down at her. “Not tonight. Tonight is for resting; tomorrow is for new starts.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 4th of July! I've put a poll on my ffnet profile page. Take a look and make a vote. I'll keep it open until the end of this fic.


	3. What's Right

As Yoshi and Shinta entered his room, Yoshi kicked an empty soda can, sending it flying across the room. “Damn it!” He turned and punched the wall, leaving a hole in it. He groaned. “Woops.”

Shinta sighed, moving as best he could across the filthy room to peek out the curtains. “If you tear the place up, you’re just going to get everyone even madder at us.”

“Yeah, well, they shouldn’t be mad at you.” Yoshi snarled. “I already told them it was my idea.”

Shinta just shook his head. “But I went along with it.”

Kaz appeared in the door rubbing his eyes. “What’s with all the racket? You know some of us are trying to sleep.” He took in the sight of his two cousins and frowned. “What happened?”

“We went to that arcade on 44th, Black Dog’s, and Uncle Leo sort of caught us.” Yoshi explained.

Kaz continued to frown. “You took Shinta to Black Dog’s? Are you crazy!”

Yoshi flopped on the end of his bed. “Apparently so, ‘cause everyone keeps askin’ me that!”

“It was actually okay at first. Yoshi even met a girl.” Shinta attempted a smile that didn’t seem to convince Kaz at all. “But we got into some trouble before we left and things got a bit out of hand.”

“Out of hand, huh?” Kaz jumped at Raph’s voice behind him and stepped out of the way so the older turtle could enter the room. “The way Leo was actin’ it sounded like you two started World War III.”

“Well, we didn’t. It was just six guys. Nothin’ we couldn’t handle.” Yoshi folded his arms across his chest with a frown.

“That wasn’t what he was really upset about.” Shinta pointed out.

“Then what?” Raph huffed. “I just stuck my neck out for both of you, so the least you could do is give me a full explanation.”

“They were possessed by demons.” Shinta rubbed the back of his head. “I could see their demon auras and they noticed.”

“Shit!” Raph hissed. “Do you realize what you just did? You just let them know of your existence. You might as well have been waving around a big neon sign that says come get me.”

“But we had our holos on, they didn’t see who we really were.” Yoshi protested.

“It don’t matter. Once word gets out that our boy here can see them, they’ll come lookin’ for him.”

Yoshi started to protest, but Shinta waved a hand. “He’s right. No matter what I look like, they’ll know it’s me. They’ll sense my spiritual powers.”

“Then we better get ready for what’s coming.” Kaz said from the doorway.

Raph shot his young nephew a look. Shinta looked whipped and barely holding his ground at the moment. “Nah, not tonight. You want to sleep in the spare room down here tonight, Shinta?”

“No.” Then Shinta thought of his father and how livid he’d been. The idea of climbing two more flights of stairs to sleep across the hall from him made a knot grow in his stomach. “On second thought, I think I will.”

They watched as he trudged across the hall to the only empty room on the floor. It was mainly used for storage, but did have a spare mattress in it. Which he unceremoniously dropped to the floor and fell across, ready for the night to be over. Kaz sighed. “Well, I’m going back to bed too. Try to keep it down to a low roar, Yoshi. Or I’ll let Ona deal with you in the morning.” He left the threat hanging in the air as he made his way back to his own room.

Yoshi sighed as well. “I really was just trying to help.”

Raph put a hand on his shoulder. “I know you were. And I ain’t gonna let Leo punish you for tryin’ to do somethin’ good. But maybe next time, you should let somebody know before you take off, okay?”

Yoshi gave appreciative nod. “Yeah, okay. And thanks Dad.”

Raph smiled and patted his shoulder before walking off. Yoshi shut his door and stared at the now empty room. He’d screwed up tonight. Not that he’d meant to, but it had happened nonetheless. And if he’d learned anything in his life, it was to take responsibility for his mistakes. If Shinta left the lair, he was going to be with him every step until this demon was destroyed. _I won’t let it hurt you, not because of me._

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

Leo woke from a dreamless sleep to find himself wrapped in Jamie’s arms, his face buried in her neck and his arms draped around her waist. Her arms were tight around his shoulders, one hand cradling his head. He could feel the thrum of her heartbeat against his skin and sweet scent filled his senses. The sensation was so comforting that he nearly fell back to sleep. The light peeking through the heavy curtains was just enough for him to realize that it was no longer morning, but quite possibly midday. Whatever that concoction was that Donnie had given him the evening before was, had allowed him to sleep the entire night without a single nightmare.

Reluctantly, he pulled away from Jamie to look at the clock on the nightstand. He’d been right, it was already past noon. He wondered momentarily why no one had woken him for breakfast, then he remembered the previous day. He’d yelled at both his wife and his son, and accused his nephew of trying to get Shinta killed. The stress and pressure he’d been under had finally made him snap and he’d even swung at Raphael. Sighing, he slowly pulled himself free from his wife. But he paused to brush the hair from her cheek and place a warm kiss there. “I love you.”

“Then, don’t go.” She whispered, her eyes slitting open just a bit to peer at him through her long lashes.

He rubbed a large hand up and down her back. “I have to. I need to speak with Shinta. Not to mention straighten things out with Yoshi and Raph too.”

She rolled over onto her back to look up at him, her expression sad. “Are you sure? Last night….”

“Last night I was out of line. And I need to fix things.” He brushed his thumb across her round lips and she shivered.

Her eyes lit. “Don’t start something you’re not willing to finish.”

He chuckled softly and bent to capture those plump lips with his. He kept the encounter gentle and short, but long enough for her to know that he wanted much more. “We will finish it, but later.” He pushed himself off the bed and began to put on his gear and mask. “Are you going down to the music shop?”

She rolled over in the bed burying her face against his pillow and mumbled into it. “Nope, I took the day off. I cleared my calendar last night.” She turned her face just enough to look at him. “So maybe we could spend the day together.”

He smiled. “That sounds like a really good idea. I was just thinking something along the same lines.” He bent to peck her cheek again and dodge her as she grabbed for him. He gave another small chuckle. “Later, I promise.”

She pouted, burying her face into his pillow again. “I guess I’ll just have to settle for your pillow until you come back.” Leo felt a sudden wave of envy towards the pillow as she curled her body around it. For a moment he wanted to rip the thing out of her hands and climb back in bed with her. She cracked an eye to look at him still standing beside the bed. “Weren’t you going somewhere?”

“Uh, yeah.” He turned and started for the door. “I’ll see if there’s any breakfast left.”

“Mm, I’d love a pig in a blanket.” She told him as he opened the door.

“I told you last night, I’m a turtle not a pig.” He grinned hearing laughter behind him as he closed the door. He crossed the hall to Shinta’s room and gave a small knock before opening the door. But he found the room empty and the bed looked like it hadn’t been slept in. _He probably wasn’t too happy with me last night._ He moved back out into the hall and down to the little intercom system that had been set up. “Shinta, where are you?”

It took a little while before there was a response. “I’m on the roof.”

Leo let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding and turned to the little staircase that led up to the roof. He found Shinta sitting in the small green house they’d built to grow herbs. In his lap was one of the many books that they’d found about the Shinto religion. The teen looked up at him as he came near and settled on the bench beside him. For a long time, they sat in silence until Leo finally broke it.

“Shinta, I’m sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have gotten so angry with you. I was just so….”

Shinta cocked his head to the side. “Scared?”

Leo was once again surprised at just how intuitive his son was. He figured that too must have been one of Amaya’s traits. He gave a slow nod. “Yeah, I’ve been scared a lot lately. But that’s no excuse for my behavior.”

Shinta sighed, looking over at the plants with their bright colored flowers despite the fact that it was autumn already. Raph and Kala mainly maintained the garden, though Jamie could be found here on occasion. Even Donnie came up here from time to time, but Sarah had refused, professing her tendency to kill plants.

“You were only trying to protect me - to make me stronger. I know that and I’m not angry about that. But how am I going to learn the things that I have to learn, unless I get out there and experience some of it? I can’t stay locked in the lair every day for the rest of my life.” Shinta’s shoulders slumped despondently. 

“Are you certain that you can do the things that Amaya taught you?” Leo had read many, if not all, of the books they’d found so far and it was a lot of information to take in, even in a year’s time.

Shinta shook his head. “That’s exactly my point. How will I know that I can do these things when the time comes, if I never put them into practice? Reading is one thing, but doing it is something different.”

Leo sighed. “You’re right. I can’t keep you locked up in here and you do need to practice your skills. But I want to be there when you do.”

Shinta smiled a bit. “I want you to be there too.”

Leo smiled as well, putting an arm around his son’s shoulders and pulling him into a small sideways embrace. Resting his cheek against the younger turtle’s head, he made the silent vow again. _I will never let anything hurt you_. His eyes drifted down to the book in Shinta’s lap. “So, what were you studying?”

Shinta sat up a little. “I was just going over some of the ancient charms used to ward off demons.”

Leo looked more intently at the book. It wasn’t one he recognized. “Is this the new one Donnie found for you?”

“Yes, he gave it to me yesterday after you and Jamie…after I was done with training.” He wanted to ask about the fight his father and stepmother had had, but couldn’t bring himself to stick his beak in it. But he did wonder if she was still upset.

“We’re fine.” Leo said absently, answering the unasked question, and took the book from Shinta. On the page were several pictures of different charms, but one in particular caught his eye. It was a golden circle inset with an eight pointed star and a blue stone at its center. He touched the photo with a large finger. “I’ve seen one of these before. Master Splinter had one a long time ago. I never knew what it was and the last time I saw it we were around your age.”

Shinta gazed at the picture in astonishment. “Master Splinter had one of these? But it says here, they’re very powerful charms. You can even consecrate a place with it so that no demons can come near it.” He paused, hearing his mother’s words in his ears. “Like…holy ground.”

Leo handed the book back to his son. “It’s too bad we don’t have it now. Quite frankly we could use both it and Master Splinter at the moment.”

Shinta continued to look down at the book, but he really wasn’t seeing it. “What was he like, Father?”

The corners of Leo’s mouth twitched up. “He was a master of ninjitsu and very wise. He took us in when no one else in the world would have. He taught us honor, loyalty, and love.”

While Leo and Shinta talked, the rest of the family milled around down stairs. The begins of lunch already being prepared. Mikey carried the cup of steaming tea out of the kitchen with a concerned frown. “Here you go, babe.” He set it in front of Kala on the long dining table and settled in the chair beside her. “This should make you feel better.”

Kala gave him a weak smile, trying to hide her true level of discomfort from her spouse. But Mikey was never as easy to fool as some might think. “Thanks.” She coughed hard and he rubbed her back, his frown deepening. She hadn’t felt well for some time now. If she gave it any real thought, she’d probably have said it started after her dip in the cold river last year. But none of them had really thought much of it, since their primary concern at the time had been her concussion.

“I really don’t like the sound of that cough.” He continued to rub her back in soothing circles.

“It’ll go away. It’s probably just a cold or maybe allergies. The season is changing right now.”

Mikey looked less than convinced. “But-“

She reached out and pulled him down for a kiss. “I’ll be fine. Now let me drink my tea.” She gave his bottom lip a tweak when he pouted.

He sighed, rolling his eyes with a small smirk. “Okay, but you should probably get some rest after lunch. Promise?”

 “I promise, Doctor Michelangelo.” She teased and took a sip of her tea. The warm liquid felt fantastic as it went down.

Mikey grinned. “I like the sound of that. We’ll have to give that one some more practice later.”

Kala had luckily swallowed before the comment, because her warm tea would have come out her nose when she tried to muffle her laugh. As it was she had to set her cup down so fast it sloshed on her knuckles. “Ow!” She hissed as it burned some. Mikey was laughing and, not thinking, she swatted at his plastron with the injured hand. “Ow!” She stuck her doubly injured knuckle in her mouth and glared at her laughing spouse.

Sarah came in with a large bowl of fruit salad. She raised an eyebrow. “Mikey, what did you do?”

He snorted. “I didn’t do anything.”

Sarah glanced at Kala, who was still nursing her knuckle. “Uh, huh. Need anything Kala? Besides a napkin.” Sarah eyed the splattered tea.

Kala finally pulled her knuckle from her mouth, which was already feeling better. “I could use some duct tape.”

Sarah’s brow knotted. “Duct tape? What for?”

“For Mikey’s mouth.” Kala shot her spouse a teasing look and he stuck out his tongue. She looked back at Sarah. “See?”

Sarah just shook her head and walked away, mumbling about odd forms of foreplay. About that time, the crew from the garage came in. Raph and Cat had joined them today knowing it had been a long night and they could probably use the extra help. Kaz and Ona had stayed behind in case someone came in while the others ate. Lunch often pertained of finger foods, so everyone could grab and go. Which was the case most days. K-three piled several sandwiches on his plate, while Mira got some fruit salad. Raph and Cat both went for the hot dogs, and Yoshi snatched a few slices of pizza. While the others chatted, Sarah made up a plate and carried it up the stairs headed for Donnie’s new lab. It was situated on the third floor across from their bedroom. The lab actually consisted of two rooms, which had been joined by removing the wall between them.

Sarah smiled as she heard Katsu asking Donnie question after question as she neared the door. “And what is that one Sofu?”

“That is a trans-dimensional communicator.”

“What’s it for?”

“To talk to our friends in other dimensions.”

“Other da-men-tons?”

“Dimensions. You see, Katsu, there are an infinite number of realities. Some theorize that each decision that is made creates a new dimension and therefore there can be millions upon millions of other worlds.” He continued, describing the multiple theories in all in their complexity, as Sarah stopped in the door to watch Katsu’s blank expression over her spouse’s shoulder. She couldn’t prevent the pure amusement at the slight absurdity of the situation. Donnie finally turned to look at her when she snickered. “What?”

She just shook her head with a grin. “He’s three, love. I’m not sure string theory and quantum mechanics is something he can grasp yet.” She moved into the room and pecked his cheek. “Maybe next year though.”

Donnie snorted but couldn’t stop the smile. He accepted the plate she offered. “Thanks.”

She frowned a little. “I know you’ve been working on the portal again. Please be careful.”

“I’m being very careful, my love. I haven’t even plugged it in yet.” He assured her. Neither wanted what had happened last time to happen again.

“Will you tell me before you do?” He nodded and she smiled. “Good, I’ll take mister million questions back down stairs.” She’d left Katsu with him just long enough to make lunch. Now she took the toddler’s hand. “Come on, sweetheart. Mommy and Daddy are downstairs eating. Are you hunger?”

Katsu nodded vigorously and Don patted his head. “Go get something good to eat. I’ll see you later, okay?”

Katsu grinned. “Okay, Sofu! Come on, Sobo!” He started to pull her towards the door and she laughed, shooting her husband a loving look over one shoulder before disappearing into the hall.

Sarah had to slow the tot down as the started down the steps. “Go slow, sweetheart. Sobo isn’t as young as she once was. These stairs take a lot out of me.”

“Then maybe we should talk Don into putting in an elevator already.”

Sarah looked behind them as Leo and Shinta descended from above. She noted they seemed much more relaxed and Leo was even smiling a bit. She smiled back. “I’m glad to see you two made up.”

“Yeah, but I still need to talk to Raph and Yoshi.” Leo and Shinta followed them down to the living room.

“They’re in there eating. Do you want me to send them out?” Sarah stopped beside the door leading into the kitchen.

“I’ll get them.” Shinta offered and went inside before anyone could respond.

Katsu pulled at his grandmother’s hand and she allowed him to run off after his cousin. She turned concerned eyes on her blue-banded brother. “How’s Jamie?”

“Sleeping.” He answered softly.

Sarah smiled. “Good. You were both very stressed out last night. She deserves to sleep in.” She turned towards the door. “Oh, and I saved her some pigs in a blanket. They’re in the refrigerator.” She left the room as Raph and Yoshi appeared.

Leo could not only sense Raphael’s tension, he could see it in the set of his jaw and the tightness of his shoulders. His brother glared. “Yeah, what?”

Leo sighed inwardly. _Well, this is going to be fun._


	4. Conundrums

Raph glared unabashedly at his elder brother. He had no intention of letting him punish Yoshi for doing a good deed. Or at least, trying to do a good deed.

“Raph…” Leo started and then changed tactics. “Yoshi, I shouldn’t have accused you of trying to get Shinta killed. I know you’d never knowingly put any of us in danger and most especially him. But I still don’t think it’s a good idea for either of you to leave the lair without letting us know.” Raph opened his mouth to protest, but Leo put up a hand to stop him. “You were both seen by the group of demons. Even if they didn’t see you without your holos, they’ll still know both of you. And even if you are not the one they are after, they could use you against us. It’s just too dangerous for either of you to be out there on your own.”

Yoshi frowned. “I don’t need backup to deal with a bunch of punk humans.”

Leo shook his head. “From what I saw last night, they appeared to have some super human strength when possessed. It won’t be like taking on purple dragons.”

Leo exchanged a meaningful look with his brother. Raph frowned. He hated it when Leo was right. Turning to his son, he put a hand on his shoulder. “He’s got a point, Yoshi. Lay low for now. I have a feelin’ this won’t be for long. Just until we find the demon that killed Amaya and kill it.”

Yoshi frowned, not liking the idea in the least. He was twenty-one-years old and wasn’t used to having to ask for permission to be on his own anymore. He’d been running the streets alone since he was in his teens. But there was nothing for it. He couldn’t outright argue with them. When his father and uncle joined up against him, his odds of winning were practically zero. He gave an exasperated sigh. “Fine, whatever. But K-three said we were doin’ a patrol tonight. Is that still okay with you?” The last part was laced thick with sarcasm.

Both Leo and Raph scowled at the disrespect. But Leo was a little more used to it as he’d handled Raph’s for nearly six decades. “Yes, that’s fine. Just don’t take any unnecessary risk.”

Yoshi gave a short nod and left the brothers alone. Raph turned back to Leo. “You really think he could be in danger too?”

Leo nodded. “Yeah, like I said he was with Shinta and that makes him a target. They might even use him to get to Shinta.” Raph frowned and looked away considering his brother’s words. “Um, Raph.” He turned his gaze back to Leo. “Thanks for last night.”

Raph smirked. “Well, somebody’s gotta call you on it when you’re bein’ stupid. But next time, I really will beat your shell.”

Leo smiled slightly. “Hopefully, there won’t be a next time. I’ve got it under control now.”

Raph eyed him. “Well, you better.” Sighing, he put an arm around Leo’s shoulder as they started for the kitchen. “By the way, you and Jamie make up? You know that’s the best part right?”

Leo caught the undertone of his words. “I’m working on that.”

Raph dropped his arm with a wicked grin. “Gotta keep ‘em happy, bro. Otherwise life is miserable.”

Leo chuckled as he made for the refrigerator. “Now _that_ is the wisest thing I think I’ve ever heard you say.” Raph laughed as he disappeared back into the dining area. Leo pulled out the pigs in a blanket. He intended to make his wife happy again, whatever it took.

&*&*&*&*&*&*&

The team led by K-three raced across the rooftops. So far the night had been quiet. They’d broken up a handful of muggings and some kids vandalizing a car, but nothing major. It was nearly two when K-three turned them towards home. “Not much going on tonight guys, we might as well call it.”

Kaz smiled. “Sounds like a plan to me. I prefer my warm bed and mate to the cold night air. Right, K-three?”

The Turtleoid chuckled. “Definitely.”

Yoshi rolled his eyes. Ever since Kaz and Ona had married, him and K-three had been having “interesting” talks in hushed voices that would often end with them laughing. Yoshi had a pretty good idea of what the talks entailed, but didn’t want to find out if he was right. He slowed his pace a bit allowing some space between them and something caught his eye.

He paused to look at the street below. Standing on the corner beneath him was Star and the girl she’d been hanging out with at the arcade. The two said a goodbye and split up. The other girl headed south down the sidewalk, while Star turned and crossed the street into Central Park. He felt a tinge of guilt hit him. He’d run off without a word to her. He should at least apologize, shouldn’t he?

“Yoshi?”

He looked up to see the others standing on the next roof looking back at him. “Go on, I got somethin’ to do.”

Shinta frowned. “But Father said-“

“I won’t be long.” Yoshi assured them before leaping off the roof and following Star’s disappearing form into the dark park.

Kaz sighed. “Let him be Shinta. He knows what Uncle Leo said. If he’s wants to be reckless, then let him do it on his own. Come on.” Shinta frowned but followed Kaz and K-three as they headed for home.

Yoshi turned on his holo and jogged to catch up with Star. “Hey!”

She stopped to look at him, her pale blue eyes bright in the darkness. At first her features hardened as if readying for a fight, but softened as he neared. “Yoshi?”

He came to a stop beside her, his breathing even. “Hey, I’m glad I spotted you.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I thought I should apologize for last night.”

She snorted as she turned and took to her path again. “What for your cousin causing a fight? Or for you two tearing up the place and shutting it down for the rest of the night? Or for running off without so much as bye?”

“Uh, the last one.” Yoshi trotted alongside her. She could move fast, despite her shorter stride. “The rest is, well, normal.”

She shot him a look. “So, a typical night out for you is beating up a bunch of punks?”

Yoshi couldn’t help the grin. “Yep, usually I do it three or four times a week. But last night was supposed to be my night off.”

She snorted again, not certain if he was serious or not. “Sounds like a lot of fun.”

Yoshi felt his shoulders slump at her sarcastic tone. For a moment they walked in silence. Noting their path was deeper into the park, which was never a good place to be after dark, he walked a little closer to her. “You headed home? Want me to walk you?”

She gave him a sideways look that bordered on suspicious. “Sure, I guess. I’m afraid though that “home” is a relative term.” They were much deeper into the park now and she turned off the lighted path into a thick cluster of trees.

Frowning, Yoshi followed. “What do you mean?”

She paused under a very large tree, who’s trunk was at least three feet in diameter. She pointed up and he followed her gaze. Above them, nestled securely in the trees branches was a small wooden platform. It was well hidden, barely visible in the dark and likely just as unnoticeable in the daytime. “This is home.”

Yoshi looked back at her. “You mean you’re livin’ here? Why? Ain’t you got nobody to take care of you?”

She shook her head. “I told you, I don’t have anyone to report to.”

“But you can’t be all that much younger than me.” Yoshi couldn’t wrap his head around it. She didn’t look homeless. Her clothes and hair were well kept. And she didn’t smell bad, if anything she smelled good. Yoshi stopped his train of thought there. They’d only just met last night, but he couldn’t deny he enjoyed looking at her. She was about his mother’s size, small with a firm body that spoke of muscle tone beneath her tight t-shirt.

She looked away. “I turned nineteen a week after I graduated high school. That was four months ago. I’ve been staying here ever since.”

Yoshi was still dismayed. “Why?”

“I was a foster kid. As soon as I graduated they dropped me like a brick. I was no longer a ward of the state and they weren’t getting a check for me anymore.”

Yoshi scowled. “That’s terrible.” It surprised him sometimes just how cruel humans could be. He frowned, recalling the similar stories he’d heard from his mother, who’d gone through foster homes as well. But she’d had her brother, Danny. Star apparently had no one.

She shrugged. “I can’t really blame them. I was only with them a year and they had three kids of their own. Why would they want to support another that wasn’t even theirs? Besides, this is temporary. It’s just until I can save up enough to get a place of my own, now that I finally have a job.”

She sat down beneath the tree and Yoshi sat near her, but not close enough to touch. “Well, that’s good. What kind of job did you get?”

“Inside sales.” She gave him a small but proud smile.

Yoshi cringed inwardly. There was no way in the world she’d be able to afford an apartment in the city on that small of a salary, let alone find one before winter hit. And if she didn’t, she could freeze to death in her little temporary treehouse. He forced a small smile of his own. “Sounds like a good plan.”

Her smile widened just a bit. “Do you have a job or do you live at home with your parents?”

He chuckled a little. “Well, both actually. My mom has bike shop, Cat’s Cycles. I’ve been workin’ there since I was ten. Not that I actually get paid or anythin’.” Everything the bike and music shops made was communal. It went first to their continued survival providing for their basic needs, security, and weapons. Then what was left over was shared among them.

She titled her head a bit. “I think I’ve heard of it before. I know a couple guys that have bikes. Did something happen to it about a year ago? I seem to remember something like a fire destroyed it.”

“We, uh, had some vandals break in while we were gone. They pretty much destroyed the place.” He still felt guilty about that. If they hadn’t all been out searching for him, it would have never happened.

“Oh.” Star looked away, hearing the tone that said he didn’t really want to talk about it.

Yoshi laid back in the grass, looking up through the canopy of trees. “You know if you ever get tired of sales, maybe we could work somethin’ out. I think sometimes Mira gets frustrated because she has to work in the office. I think she’d rather be in the back with the bikes and K-three.” He waited for a moment but when there was no response, he looked to where Star was sitting. She wasn’t there. He sat up, looking around. “Star? Star! Where’d she go?” He looked up into the tree, but nothing seemed disturbed.

She was just gone.

Biting his lip, he stood, wondering if he’d done something to offend her. Maybe she’d taken off to get him back for doing the same the previous night. Sighing, he turned towards home. Well, that was that, wasn’t it? She’d allowed him to get close enough to be interested and then she disappeared on him. It was probably the best he could have hoped for anyways. What would a beautiful girl like that want with a mutated freak of nature like him anyways?

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Leo stared out the window, his lips pressed into a firm line. What had he been thinking letting them go out on their own tonight? One of the brothers should have gone with them. _He_ should have gone with them. He’d tried to step back and allow Shinta the freedom he deserved, but as the hour grew later he was seriously reconsidering that decision. What if something had happened? What if they got into trouble and-?

“Hey.” Jamie’s warm hand landed on his arm, a moment before she stepped around to look at him. “He’s been going on patrols since he passed his test. He is very skilled. You should know that, you trained him. Now, come on, relax. They’ll be home soon.”

He sighed, his shoulders sagging. He knew she was right. He just couldn’t help it. Her honey colored eyes watched him with patience and he was drawn into them. He cupped her cheek and her hand came up to cover his. “I’m still getting used to sitting on the sidelines. I’m not used to waiting.”

She smiled. “Well, take it from someone that spent a great deal of her life waiting for her man to come home. Distraction is the best way to pass the time.”

He gave her a small crooked smile. “Haven’t we been “distracted” for most of the day?”

She slipped her arms around his neck. “Oh, I’m sure we can find more distractions.”

He chuckled softly, pulling he close and burying his nose in her hair. Voices in the hall outside their room drew their attention to the open door. Leo released Jamie to meet the others as they came up the hall. His gaze first shot to Shinta, checking him instinctively for injuries and then rested on K-three. “Any problems?”

“No, it was pretty quiet out there.” K-three continued to give his report as Kaz and Shinta edged around behind them towards the main staircase.

“Where’s Yoshi?” Leo asked, making them all exchange looks. Leo frowned and opened his mouth to ask again.

“I’m right here.” Yoshi stalked down the hall. He shot the others a quick look before brushing past. “I’m goin’ to bed.”

Kaz frowned. He knew when his cousin was upset and Yoshi was definitely upset at the moment. But by the look on his face, he wasn’t about to talk about it right now. He’d catch the younger turtle later and see what the problem was.

“That sounds like a good idea.” Leo smiled at K-three. “I’m glad you’re all home safe. Now go get some rest. I know their waiting up for both of you.” He nodded in Kaz’s direction.

Kaz grinned. “Yep, it’s definitely time for bed.” They laughed as he hurried off down the stairs and to his bedroom, where he snuggled into Ona’s waiting arms.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Shinta rubbed his eyes as he trudged down the stairs and into the living room. It was still early considering their late night patrol, but they were training today and everyone was supposed to be there. He paused when he saw his father watching a news report. It wasn’t that strange to see him watching it, because it was how he kept track of trends in the criminal world. And right now it seemed like he’d locked on to a new one by his focused posture.

“The police still have no leads in this series of odd crimes. So far there have been four separate robberies, all of highly technical gear.” The image of the young female reporter was superimposed by the backdoor of one of the places robbed. “There are no signs of forced entry and no fingerprints. In short the situation is quite baffling.”

Leo turned off the television and turned to find Shinta watching it from behind him. “Is that something we should be concerned about?”

Leo frowned. “I don’t know yet. We’ll just have to keep our eye on it. Usually if it was someone with a crazy take over the world scheme they would have acted by now.” He tossed the remote onto the couch and they headed into the dojo.

No one else was there yet and so Shinta took the opportunity to bring up a topic he knew was going to put his father on edge. “I think it’s time I start practicing some of the techniques that I’ve learned.”

Leo froze. He didn’t need to ask what techniques his son was referring to. Turning to look at him with both a worried and hesitant expression, he measured his son. Shinta often reminded him of himself. He wasn’t as big as Yoshi or as flashy as Kaz or even as calculating as Mira, but he was sharp and determined. If he truly thought he could do these things, then there was a high probability he could. Shinta, like Leo, wasn’t given to grandstanding like Raph or Mikey. He wouldn’t say he could do something if he couldn’t.

Leo finally gave a small nod. “Alright, tonight. Once we are done with morning training, you can have the rest of the day to prepare whatever you think you might need. But you must promise me something.”

“Of course, Father.”

“If anything goes wrong you will tell me immediately.”

Shinta bowed his head respectfully. “Yes, Father. I promise.”


	5. Testing Limits

Leo watched as Raph and Mikey hauled the struggling man onto the roof. Perhaps he was just being nostalgic but he preferred his team to the younger one. He knew his brothers as well as he knew himself. He could tell by Mikey’s fidgeting that he was not at all comfortable with the idea of snatching people off the street. Raph as usual was just enjoying getting to rough someone up that he thought might be a potential enemy. Donnie watched with interest and a touch of concern. Their most logical and practical brother had never been very comfortable with the supernatural. He much preferred his facts and figures to things others might call magic or mysticism.

“You’re sure he’s one?” Raph dropped the young man on his knees in front of Shinta, who stared down at him.

“W-what do you want with me?” The man stared at the group of giant turtles.

At first inspection the man seemed normal and frightened, but when Shinta concentrated he could see the blackish aura. “Yes, he’s one.”

The man suddenly growled, his eyes flickering black. “You have the sight!”

Leo felt his heart race. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. Maybe they should have just kept Shinta hidden away. He took a deep breath. The time for maybes was over. They had started down this path, now they had to continue.

“What now?” Mikey’s hand clenched and unclenched his nunchakus.

Shinta moved around the man encircling him in salt. “The first step is to make sure he doesn’t get away.”

“With salt?” Raph couldn’t see how that would have any affect.

But the man hissed and growled in response to being imprisoned. “You are the one the others spoke of! You will regret this! You are nothing but a child!” The demon released a vicious laugh. “He knows about you! He will kill you!” The thing laughed again, a horrible noise like rats clawing a chalkboard.

Leo glared. “What are you talking about! Who knows about him!”

The demon glared back, eyes as black as coal. But he did not answer. Raph growled, pulling his sai. “You better answer him or you’ll have to answer to me. And I don’t play nice.”

It turned its soulless eyes on Raph. “If you harm this vessel, I will simply take another.”

Shinta put up a hand when Raph started forward. “No. All you would be doing is hurting an innocent person. Demons are like parasites. The host rarely knows what’s happening to them.” The demon chuckled when Raph put his sai away. The turtle had no intention of harming an innocent. Shinta narrowed his eyes. “But he is wrong about one thing. He can’t body jump while he is trapped inside the circle.”

The demon hissed. “You can’t keep me trapped in here forever. This body will die of starvation…eventually.”

“I don’t intend to leave you here to starve.” Shinta stepped back to the bag he’d brought.

“Oh, really? Then what do you intend to do with me, child?” It mocked.

Shinta tuned with a spray bottle full of purified water and a book. “The second step is to exercise you from that body.”

The man squirmed inside the circle but not actually able to touch the ring of salt. “Heh, come now. Let us be reasonable. I need this vessel and you need information. I could give it to you for my freedom.”

Shinta shook his head. “No way. You’re a demon. We can’t believe a word you say. So, we might as well shut you up.” He flipped open the book to the appropriate spot. And as he spoke the ancient words, he sprayed the demon with the purified water.

The creature screeched and screamed, thrashing about. Shinta continued despite the noise. Until at last, the blackish aura rose out of the man and floated above him. The screeching didn’t cease as the body collapsed in the center of the circle. Donnie’s eyes widened. “Fascinating.”

Shinta was sweating as he fell to his knees. Leo crouched beside him. “Shinta, are you alright?”

The young turtle panted. “Yes, it just took more out of me than I thought it would.” His hand wrapped around the prayer-beads seeking support and strength from his mother.

Leo’s frown intensified. “Do you need to rest?”

“No!” Shinta put up a hand. “I can’t. Not now. If I do, it will take possession again. I have to finish it _now_.”

Leo nodded. “Alright.”

“Would it be easier if we took the guy out of there, so it couldn’t possess him again.” Mikey took a step forward.

Shinta waved him off. “No, don’t break the circle.”

But there was a groan inside the ring from the now unpossessed man. Raph frowned. “We’d better hurry this up or we’re goin’ to have a lot of explainin’ to do.”

Shinta flipped to another page in the book and began to say the ancient words again. The creature screamed in agony, it’s form swirling about and bouncing off the invisible barrier. The man beneath it groaned again and this time kicked out with his foot. Shinta jumped to his feet. “No!” The salt circle was disturbed. There was a shrieking laugh as the black entity burst through. “Everyone get back!” Both Mikey and Raph dove to the side as it flew in their direction. It turned back towards the prone man on the ground. Shinta jumped forward, blocking its path and throwing up a hand. It was instinct more than anything else that sent the pulse of white light from his hand. The evil spirit gave another cry as it faded away.

Leo rushed to Shinta’s side, scanning the area. “Did you destroy it?”

Shinta shook his head sadly. “No, it’s just gone….for now.” He frowned. “If I’d had more time, I might have been able to…”

Leo put a hand on his shoulder. “You did your best. Remember this is practice. Mistakes are going to happen. We just have to make sure we learn from them.”

The man on the ground gave another moan and Donnie knelt beside him, checking him over. “He seems exhausted but otherwise unharmed.”

“Raph, you and Mikey take this guy home before he wakes up.” Leo instructed as he pulled the man’s wallet and tossed it to Raph. “We’ll meet you back at the lair.”

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

“I don’t like it.” Yoshi groused for the thousandth time as he stared out the window.

Kaz flipped a page in the car magazine he was reading. “You just don’t like it because they went without you.” Yoshi huffed but didn’t respond. He had to admit that was certainly part of it. Kaz watched him for a moment. “So, where did you go last night?”

“None of your business.” Yoshi wasn’t in the mood to talk about it.

“We all saw you go into the park after that blonde. Is she the one from the arcade?”

The younger turtle finally turned to look at him and saw the concern etched into Kaz’s normally playful eyes. He relented. “Yeah, but you don’t have to worry about her no more. She took off after we talked. I don’t think we’ll be seeing her again.”

Kaz frowned. “You mean she just took off, just like that?”

“Yep, I still had my holo on and everything. So, it must have been my charmin’ personality that sent her runnin’.”

“Well, that only means she wasn’t good enough for you.” Kaz said firmly.

Yoshi gave his cousin a small but genuine smile. “Thanks, bro.”

Ona stepped into the door with Katsu. “Hey, guys, dinner’s ready.”

Katsu bounded across the floor to latch onto Yoshi’s leg, making the turtle’s small smile grow. “Can I have a ride, Yoshi?”

He chuckled as he picked him up and set him on his shoulders. “Hang on!” Katsu squealed as Yoshi took off with the tot clinging to his head.

Ona smiled as Kaz came to stand near her. “Did you cook tonight?” She’d been helping Sarah cook for the past year and she was getting quite good at it. And Kaz was more than glad to reap the benefits of her hard work.

She smiled, pulling on his mask tails. “Why don’t you come find out?” She brushed her lips against his, teasingly. He moved in to for a better kiss, but she giggled as she dashed off down the hall. He laughed and gave chase. He loved it when she was being playful.

They had just finished setting the table, when Leo and the others returned home. Their wives greeted them eagerly and with relief. As everyone seated themselves the guys told them what had happened with the demon and they discussed what their next action should be. It was obvious to all of them that more practice was needed. So, over the next week they continued to capture possessed individuals and banish the demons. Each time Shinta grew more confident and stronger, but he was still struggling for a way to destroy them completely.

Meanwhile, Donnie continued his work on the portal. It was nearly ready for testing, but there were still a few calibrations to make. Sarah had pulled Mira aside at one point and asked her to help him. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in her husband, but that she worried for him. Two heads were simply better than one. And with Donnie having to be out at night with Shinta’s training and still working on the project during the day, she knew it was draining him.

&*&*&*&*&*

Mikey’s voice echoed over the intercom system into every part of their new home. “Guys! We’ve got a problem! Come see what’s happening!”

Within moments the living room was full and they all stared at the scene unfolding before them. “We continue with our live coverage of the hostage situation. A city bus carrying some thirty passengers has been hijacked. At this time the police are searching for clues and waiting to hear from the assailants. We will have more as the story develops.”

Leo’s cell rang and he lifted it to his ear. “April?”

“Leo, it’s the Foot.”

He motioned for the sound to be muted on the TV. “What? How do you know?”

“Because they just called me. They said they are willing to make an exchange for the hostages, if you surrender yourselves to them.”

“Are you in danger?”

“No, they don’t want me.”

“Did they say where?”

“Leo, you can’t do this.”

“If it means saving those people, then we have to. But that doesn’t mean we’ll go down without a fight.”

April gave the address and Leo hung up. “Don and Mira see if you can get us some satellite images of the location and building specs. Everyone else gear up. I have a feeling we’re going to need everyone for this one.”

Ten minutes later, they were gathered around the large table as they went over the plan. Leo pointed at the photo of the warehouse. “Me, Raph, Mikey and Don will draw their attention. K-three, you’ll take Kaz, Yoshi and Mira in through the back. Get as many hostages out as you can.”

“What about me? You’re not leaving me behind!” Shinta narrowed his eyes. He was just as capable, if not more so than the others. He was not going to be sidelined.

Leo shook his head. “You’re not coming.”

Shinta growled. He didn’t usually show defiance against his father, but this time was different. “You need me! They need me! You can’t do this! It’s-“ Raph’s hand landed on his shoulder, silencing him.

“He’s got a point, Leo. You said it yourself. We need everybody this time.”

The two older turtles held each other’s gazes for a long moment. Finally, Leo leaned over the table, his shoulders tense. “Fine.” He lifted his head to look at Shinta. “But you stay with me.”

“We better get moving, Leo. We’ve only got an hour until the exchange.” Don moved towards the back door, Sarah at his side. He bent to kiss her warmly and she wrapped her arms tightly around him.

“Be careful.”

“I will.”

Mira hugged Katsu and told him she loved him before handing him to her mother. Sarah in turn hugged both her daughter and son-in-law. “Be safe.” They both gave firm nods.

Ona clung to Kaz. She hadn’t liked the plan at all. It seemed to leave them all far too exposed. There was no telling how many foot were in there and worst of all they didn’t know who was calling the shots now for that clan of ninjas. “Kazzey, I’m scared.”

“Shh, it’ll be okay. Just think of it as another patrol.” He pressed her tight to his heart. “I love you. We’ll be back soon.”

Kala held tightly to Mikey as he whispered soothingly in her ear. Something about this just did not feel right. But she knew it was useless to argue. They would always protect the innocent, even if it cost them their own lives. She kissed him, mumbling her own words of love.

Cat hugged Yoshi and kissed his cheek. And then Raph pulled her deep into his embrace. “Come back to me, tough guy.”

He nuzzled into her hair. “You know it, darlin’.”

A tear trickled down Jamie’s cheek to land on top of Shinta’s head as she hugged him close. “Please, be careful.”

“I will, Yobo.”

He released her and she turned to Leo. Wrapping her arms tightly around him, she whispered softly. “I don’t like this.”

“I know.” He whispered just as softly. “But it’s what we have to do.”

“I love you, Leo.”

“As I love you.” He looked down at her and pressed a kiss to her brow, before turning and leading them out the back door to the van. The five girls stood watching them leave, each with their own level of trepidation in their hearts.

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

The area surrounding the warehouse was rather quiet. A little too quiet for Leo’s liking. He knew no matter what they were walking into a trap. Even if the others were going to be their backup, this was going to be an outright battle. His earpiece crackled as it came to life.

 “Team two is in position. We’re ready whenever you are, Leo.” K-three was positioned on the roof of the warehouse adjacent to the rear of their target with Mira, Yoshi, and Kaz.

“Alright, keep the line open, but maintain radio silence. Give us a minute to get their attention.”

“Affirmative.” Came K-three’s programed military response.

Leo preferred interacting with the Turtleoid on operations because of that very reason. He was precise and accurate. His military background was a benefit to their family. He knew how to command and lead, which in all honesty Leo had worried about with Mira. He had been uncertain about her ablity to lead the younger team properly. She could be hard when needed, but she was too much like her father. She tended to overanalyze rather than take action. K-three’s arrival had proved very serendipitous to say the least.

Leo turned to his son and brothers. “Alright guys, let’s go. Shinta, you stay to the back. Let us know if you spot an ambush from behind.” The young turtle nodded and Leo turned to lead them to the large metal garage door that was the front of the warehouse. “We’re here!” He called, eyeing a camera hanging overhead.

The door slowly opened and they were greeted with at least four dozen Foot soldiers. Instinctively they each reached for their weapons. Although the soldiers took defensive stances, they did not attack. Shinta tried to see what was happening, peering between two of his uncles’ shoulders. He was still mostly hidden from view by his elders’ much larger forms.

The crowd of Foot slowly parted to reveal a slender figure with broad shoulders. As he came into view, the brothers gasped. The man wore the war-helmet of the Shredder. “So, you have chosen to surrender. That is very wise of you, for you would certainly have fallen to my army.” The voice that greeted them, however, was not that of their old enemy. That voice they could have picked out of hundreds after so many battles with him. This was not Oroku Saki.

Leo leveled his blade at the man, eyes narrowed. “Who are you? Why did you kidnap all those people?”

“I am disappointed in you, Leonardo. I expected more fight from Napoleon’s counterpart.” He removed his helmet to reveal himself to them.

Another gasp went through the group. Raph growled. “Kyoudai! I should have killed you when I had the chance!”

Mikey half lowered his stance in a mocking gesture of their enemy. “This is Kyoudai. He’s not all that.”

“Release the hostages. You are no match for all four of us.” Leo continued with a step forward. The ninja surrounding Kyoudai took a step forward as well.

Leo paused and the young man smirked. “As you can see, I do not have to take you on by myself. I have an entire army at my disposal.”

“How did you get here?” Donnie was worried about their friends in the mirror universe. What had this madman done to get here?

His evil smirk only grew. “I have been here for some time actually. After my mother was slain by your counterparts, I broke out of the dungeon and found the portal. I have made some powerful allies in this world.”

Shinta muffled a tiny gasp when he saw the blackish aura swirling around the man. _This is not good!_


	6. Unexpected

K-three scanned the back entrance, which only had four guards. He knew there had to be a lot more inside. And these soldiers were human, not the robots they had fought previously. He lifted his bow and aimed for the two on the roof. They fell with a small thud. He grinned, remembering how Mira had told him once of the benefit of ninja weapons being silent. This meant the two near the door hadn’t heard a thing. “Your turn, Kaz.”

Kaz grinned, tossing his grappler and swinging down into the alley. In one fell swoop he took out both guards. He grinned at K-three as the others joined him. “All yours boss.”

K-three snorted. “Holos on. We don’t want to scare the hostages.”

“Yeah, it ain’t like they’re already scared anythin’.” Yoshi said sarcastically, pulling his tekko-kagi.

Mira rolled her eyes, but K-three flat out ignored him. “Stay on your toes. There’s no telling how many are in here.” He didn’t wait for a response as he eased the door open and peered inside. Several soldiers were surrounding the bus, where the hostages were still huddled inside. K-three pointed at Kaz and Yoshi, then gestured up at the windows above them. There was a catwalk that went around the entire inside of the warehouse. The two nodded and climbed up, stealthily entering one of the windows.

Silently, Mira and K-three entered through the door, keeping to the shadows. Within moments the four turtles had taken out the eight guards. Mira opened the bus door and put her finger to her lips. The thirty-four passengers whimpered, hiding behind their seats. “Everyone stay quiet and follow me. We’re getting you out of here.” Several heads popped up at this, but they all anxiously looked out the far side of the bus where the rest of the ninja army stood. “Hurry.” Mira insisted. With that slight urging they started to move.

She helped them off the bus while K-three ushered them across the small open space and through the backdoor. On the roof of the bus Kaz and Yoshi crouched, keeping an eye on what was happening near the main entrance. When the Foot’s leader pulled off his helmet, Kaz growled.

“Shh.” Yoshi glared at his cousin. They weren’t quite through unloading the hostages.

“I know that punk.” Kaz had tangled with him once before, ten years ago. And he’d wanted a piece of him ever since. He couldn’t suppress another growl as he turned off his holo, readying for the battle to come.

This time it drew K-three’s attention below. “Kaz!” He hissed as quietly as he could. He didn’t have to say don’t do something stupid, the younger turtle understood the warning.

But Kaz’s anger was rising as he spotted someone else he wanted a piece of. Lanius stood to one side of the warehouse, fiddling with some kind of device. Unable to control the rage that had built inside him, he sprang at the doctor with a roar. He was the closest of the two and so the creep would suffer first for his wife. Then he would take apart the scoundrel Kyoudai for threatening his mother and father.

Kyoudai scanned the assembled turtles and frowned. “Where is the rest of your miserable brood? You all will die together!” As if in answer to his question, there was a roar behind him and he spun to see the one he’d fought so many years ago spring at Lanius. The doctor was swift enough to move aside, but he stumbled back. With a single thought the clan was charging in to rescue the doctor. As much as the man disgusted Kyoudai, he was a valuable asset.

Leo groaned inwardly. Leave it to Kaz to blow the plan. Sometimes he swore some of Raph’s DNA got mixed into that kid somehow. Well, there was nothing for it. They’d have to get him out of there. He just hoped that K-three had managed to get all the hostages out first. He charged at Kyoudai with a battle cry, his brothers hot on his heels.

On the other side of the bus, K-three growled as Kaz shot off the top of the bus out of view. “Damn it!” They had almost finished unloading everyone. Why couldn’t he have waited just another minute! “Hurry!” He ordered the last of the people out the back door. Turning, he found Yoshi and Mira already engaged in combat. His heart pounded as he watched his mate dodge a sword. Although she still trained with them, he had convinced her not to go on patrols after Katsu’s hatching. Some instinct inside him still wanted to protect her, even though he knew she was very skilled. He slid into the battle beside her, keeping them shell to shell.

Kaz growled as he advanced on Lanius, who was scrambling to get away from him. As soon as he was close enough to grab him, he was tackled to the ground by several soldiers. He snarled as he fought them off. Something was strangely familiar about the Foot’s behavior. But he didn’t have time to contemplate it as he was swamped by several more soldiers. Nearby he heard, Yoshi’s roar as he charged into the fray.

Leo’s sword clashed with Kyoudai. “Why are you here! What do you want from us!”

The young man was putting up a good fight. “You’re lives!”

Shinta pushed through his uncles to fight near his father. Raph and Mikey were pushing their way through the crowd of Foot towards the pile where Kaz was buried beneath at least a dozen bodies. Every time Yoshi’d pull two off and another would jump on.

Donnie blocked another blow and looked around. Something felt off. “Leo, we need to get out of here!”

Leo swung at Kyoudai and the young man flipped backwards out of range, then jumped onto the bus then the catwalk. The turtle took the opportunity to call to K-three. “Are the hostages out!”

“Yes!” K-three punched another soldier in the head sending him to the ground.

“Good, it’s time to leave! Everyone out!” Leo ordered.

Raph and Mikey had reached Yoshi and Kaz, and had managed to dig the orange-banded turtle out. They rejoined the others towards the center of the room. K-three and Mira had already joined the others. Now that they were together, they could fight their way back out. But when the group turned to make an opening to the door, they found their way heavily blocked. In fact, they were completely surrounded.

Kyoudai laughed from his place on the catwalk. “You will not leave here alive! And for what you did, I plan to make you suffer!”

Leo growled. “We did nothing! You and your mother tried to kill our counterparts!”

Kyoudai’s eyes narrowed beneath his helmet. “And this time I will succeed with _you_.”

Leo sprang off the ground and onto the bus and then the catwalk, where he once again engaged the Shredder’s alternate universe son in battle.

Shinta saw the movement of the Foot soldiers on the catwalk before the others. They moved to ambush Leo from behind. He let out his own growl as he made the two leaps onto the walkway. “Cowards!” He swung his twin katana, sending the first flying from the metal platform. He went to sweep the leg of the next, but the third caught the outside of his shoulder with the tip of his sai. Shinta gave a cry of pain and sprang back.

Leo took his eyes off his enemy for a split second. “Shinta, are you alright?”

“It’s okay.” Shinta ground out, blocking another swing of the sai. He sent the two remaining Foot soldiers over the rail. He panted, clutching his injured shoulder.

Kyoudai took advantage of the distraction. “Now!” Every Foot soldier still conscious pulled what appeared to be smoke bombs from their garments and threw them at the turtle’s feet. Saki’s son wasted no time in doing the same at Leo’s feet.

The affect was nearly instantaneous. Leo coughed, grabbing at his throat. The smoke burned as it entered his body, searing his insides, making it hard to breathe, and even harder to move. “Poison.” He choked out, staggering back. Below him, he could see the rest of his family on their knees, wheezing and coughing. K-three looked like the only one unaffected. Leo glanced at Shinta, who was staring at them. Fear was etched into his blue-gray eyes, but he seemed unaffected otherwise.

Leo knew he had to keep it that way. He took another unsteady step towards his son and Shinta moved to meet him as he started to fall to his knees. “Shinta, run.”

Shinta shook his head, his eyes wide. “No!”

Leo pushed himself to his feet again. And with the last ounce of his strength he shoved Shinta out the window beside them. “Go!”

The young turtle gasped in surprise, but had no time to react as his shell shattered the glass and he went falling through the air. He tried to twist to land right, but the fall was too short. He landed with a hard thud on his side, groaning with the impact. He could hear someone shouting above him. A sudden urgency to move overtook him and he found himself scrambling to his hands and knees, then his feet.  A force seemed to be pushing him away from the sound of running feet.

Inside Kyoudai glared at Leo. “A pointless move. We will find him and then he shall watch you die as I watch my mother die.” He kicked Leo hard in the head, where’d he’d fallen to his hands and knees. Leo prayed that Shinta would get away. He was there only hope now.

K-three watched Leo shove Shinta out the window and then collapse. A snarl rose deep from within him as he stood over his prone mate. She was on her hands and knees gasping for air. Their bond was pulsing with pain and his instincts cried out for him to protect her. She moaned and reached for the unconscious form of her father near her. “Dad?” K-three’s growl only increased at the hoarseness of her voice and the Foot surrounding him actually backed off a pace.

“Doctor, why is that one not affected?” Kyoudai demanded, pointing at the fiercely growling Turtleoid.

Lanuis’s sunken eyes took in the turtle still on his feet and battle ready. “He must be different from the others.” He observed that the younger ones seemed to be doing far better than older ones. Kaz and Yoshi were also on their hands and knees. Both were trying without success to get back to their feet. “His DNA must be different. The anti-mutagen is affecting the younger ones, but at a slower rate.”

 _Anti-mutagen!_ K-three felt his blood run cold. This monster had done to them what he’d done to Mikey many years ago. Involuntarily, he glanced down at Mira who was coughing violently. He started to reach for her, but there was movement at the corner of his vision and he turned just in time to block the Taser-stick that was aimed for his side. Two more Tasers seemed to come out of nowhere, sending electric shock waves through his body. Beside him, Mira cried out in pain as it echoed across their bond. Her body couldn’t stand it any longer and she fell into an unconscious heap beside her father’s.

“Mira!” Both Yoshi and Kaz cried in unison.

K-three ground his teeth, trying desperately to keep his footing. But even as he fought off the Taser-sticks, he was losing the battle. He fell to the floor writhing in pain as more Taser-sticks lanced his legs and arms. Just as he thought he could bear no more, he heard Kyoudai speak again.

“Do not kill it. Take that one and these two. They will tell us where the young one went. They will all die this night. I swear it on my mother’s death.”

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Shinta panted as he urged his feet to move. His head was still swimming from the uncontrolled fall. He could feel blood oozing from the wound in his left shoulder as he pressed his hand against it. He needed to get to safety, try to decide on a course of action. Once he was several warehouses away, he pulled himself painfully up onto one’s roof.

He lay there trying to regain his senses for what seemed like an eternity, but it probably wasn’t more than five minutes in reality. Groaning, he finally sat himself up and looked at the wound in his arm. It was going to be difficult to fix on his own, but he had to try. He pulled a length of bandaged from his belt and wrapped it awkwardly and rather sloppily around his injured arm, using his teeth to help tie the knot. He thought over the situation. He was the only one not captured or hurt or… He shuddered. _No! I’m not going to think that way! They’re alive! I just have to rescue them somehow and find an antidote for whatever poison they used…all by myself_. He knew he couldn’t go home and get the girls involved. They would stop at nothing to get their loved ones back. He wouldn’t risk their lives that way. But he needed help. He couldn’t fight off the entire Foot clan by himself, especially not when their leader was obviously possessed.

Then he remembered something. _That’s right Kyoudai is from the mirror universe in the other dimension._ Although, he didn’t really remember the incident where the man had intruded in their home, Shinta knew the story. Kaz told it often enough with an angry glint his eyes. Surely, Napoleon and Rasputin would help. He’d never met his alternate universe father, but he knew if he was anything like his own father he would come without hesitation.

As he stood and raced for home, he hoped his uncle had completed the portal. He did seem to recall Don and Mira talking about testing it later. Well, he’d have to test it for them. As he neared home, he decided to enter through the roof. There was no need to get Jamie and the others worked up. Then again it was likely Sarah was already telling them something was wrong. There was no time for explanations though. He’d have to tell them later. Pressing his thumb to the roof lock, it sprang open and he half ran, half fell down the steps to the third floor. If anyone heard him, they didn’t make a move in his direction.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he stumbled into the lab. But it was short lived as he stared at the large metal beast before him. He rubbed at his eyes as he leaned on the console. To one side he spotted a list of steps written out in Donatello’s scrawling hand. His heart jumped. “Thank goodness for small miracles.” Apparently his uncle wanted the others to learn to operate the portal, if there was a need. And boy, was there ever a need now.

He moved the switches and knobs as best he could based on his uncle’s notes. The machine was humming now, it’s board lit. There was just one more step – the dimensional coordinates. But he couldn’t make it out well and there seemed to be more than one set.

He felt his legs beginning to give out on him. He’d lost a good bit of blood and that was after enduring a rather big battle. He put the coordinates in as he understood them, but nothing happened. The portal did not light up. “Come on! Work!” Shinta slammed a fist into the top of the console. Several dials moved with the impact, but he didn’t notice as the portal finally glowed. He gave the console a quick glance making sure it was not going to die on him while he was gone.

Maybe he should leave a note, just in case. _No time!  No time!_ The words repeated in his head as he took a deep breath and dove through the purple doorway. He landed in the middle of a sewer tunnel on his hands and knees. He stumbled to his feet to find four figures cloaked in shadow watching him.

"Dudes, it’s a turtle!" Shinta blinked at the sound of the voice. It sounded strangely familiar. He shook his head trying to clear it. _How could_ he _be here?_

The figures came closer and Shinta's mouth hung open. The sight before him was completely unexpected, but strangely comforting. It was his father and uncles, but they looked different – younger, _much_ younger. "Please, I need your help." He stumbled forward, exhaustion pulling at his body.

Leonardo rushed forward. "Of course, we'll help you."

Darkness pulled at the edges of Shinta's vision. "Thank you, Father." He mumbled before blacking out. Leo blinked at him in surprise.

Donnie hurried forward as well. "He's injured. We better get him back to Master Splinter right away."

When Shinta awoke sometime later, he found himself on an old couch with someone hovering over him. It took a moment for him to focus. His eyes went wide in awe. “Master Splinter?”

The old rat’s brow rose. “You know me, child?”

“Yes.” Shinta paused unsure of how much he should say. Would he damage the past if he said too much? But he knew in order to gather the help he needed, he had to tell them everything. “You are my grandfather.”

“Grandfather?” Splinter stared in shock.

“You said something like that in the tunnel.” Leo stepped around the couch from where the others were gathered.

Shinta nodded. “You’re….you’re my father.” He clenched his eyes shut, remembering the dire situation. He stood. “I have to get back he needs me. But I can’t do it alone there’s too many. I _need_ help.”

Leo looked a bit pale. Raph growled. “He could be lyin’.”

“I sense no deception, my sons.” Splinter informed them.

“He does look like you, Leo.” Mikey pointed out.

“This is incredible! I have a million questions!” Donnie’s face was lit with excitement.

Splinter waved them off. “I wish to speak with you alone. What is your name child?”

“Shinta.” He gave a slight bow and Splinter smiled.

“A good name. Come with me, Shinta.” The old rat turned and led him through the lair to his room. Shinta marveled at his surroundings. He’d been to the old lair once with his father. It had been fascinating. But this was beyond words. Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought he could walk through his family’s first home this way. Everything was intact and pristine. He wanted to see his father’s room – to know what he was like as a teen. But he didn’t have the time. Splinter settled on his straw mat and Shinta knelt across from him. “How old are you?”

“Fifteen, Master Splinter.”

“The same age as my sons. If what you say is true, then you come from some time in the future.”

“Forty-one years actually, if my father is only fifteen now.”

“And you say that Leonardo is your father?” Splinter was mystified at the idea.

“Yes.” Shinta looked down at his hands. He was so worried about him and the others, it hurt. He quickly explained the circumstances of his arrival and the desperate situation back home. “Please, I can’t stay long. I need to get back to them. They could be dying.”

“Yes, you must go and my sons will help you. But first I wish to give you something that may aid you in your battle.” He rose and went to a trunk across the room, pulling out several objects. “Take this omamori, it will protect you and the others. Also this quiver of arrows, they were blessed by a powerful priest in Japan. They are capable of destroying a demon. Also, these scrolls contain special prayers that will aid you.” He handed the items to the young turtle.

“Thank you, Sofu.” Shinta bowed, truly grateful for the aid. “It was an honor to meet you. I will treasure this memory always.”

Splinter frowned. “What do you mean? Am I not in this future with you?”

Shinta shook his head sadly. “You died a long time before I was hatched.”

“I see.” Splinter’s eyes held sadness. “Then may I ask something of you?”

“Yes, anything.” Shinta wanted to please his grandfather. He wanted him to be proud of him.

“I should like a hug from my brave grandson.”

Tears prickled Shinta’s eyes, but he held them in check as he set aside the items he’d been given. Leaning forward, he embraced Splinter. It was amazing. The feel of his fur against his skin, the warmth and strength in his arms was like nothing his imagination could have formed. Finally, he leaned away, only to see the same dampness in Splinter’s eyes. “I’m sorry, I can’t stay longer. But I have to hurry.”

“I understand. My sons…” The four turtles that had been hanging just outside the door made their way sheepishly inside. “Young Shinta’s words ring true. Return with him, aid him as best you can. And return home safely.”

“Yes, Master.” Leo glanced at Shinta feeling a bit odd. The idea of children had never even crossed through his mind, but here was living proof that it was possible staring back at him with strange blue-gray eyes. “Let’s go.” He turned and led the way back through the tunnels to the place the portal still glowed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -laughs manically- I bet you guys didn't expect that! Don't forget the poll on ffnet. I need to know where to go after the series is done.


	7. Rescuing Self

Cat leaned over Sarah, where she lay on the couch. They’d moved her there after she’d collapsed. She was wound into a tight ball, clutching her legs against her. The others weren’t sure if they were pleased or not that the screams of anguish had stopped and now all she could muster were soft whimpers while tears poured down her face. Cat brushed her gray locks from her brow. “Sarah, can you hear me?”

The other girl did not respond, her mouth forming the same word over and over. “Donnie...”

Kala paced behind Cat. “Something bad has happened! I can feel it! We need to go look for them!”

Cat shot a look over her shoulder. “We can’t!”

Ona held Katsu as he wept. “We have to! Kaz could be hurt too! We can’t just-”

Jamie shook her head. “No, Cat’s right. We have to stay with Sarah.”

Cat stood and faced them. “Look we don’t know what’s going on. If we take off and get captured or something, what good will we be to them? Besides someone would have to stay with Sarah and Katsu. We can’t leave them alone. So that would only leave three of us against – who knows what kind of odds.” She turned to look down at Sarah again. “If they can’t make it on their own, what good would we be?”

Tears trickled down Kala’s cheeks. “I know…you’re right…it’s just…”

“I know…” Cat stared at the pain stricken faces of her sisters-in-law. She wanted to act too. It wasn’t in her nature not to, but if nine of the world’s most skilled ninjas couldn’t defeat this enemy, what chance did they stand? “All we can do is hope and pray…”

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

“I wasn’t out long, was I?” Shinta asked as they neared the portal.

“No, just long enough for Master Splinter to patch up your arm.” Donnie told him as they ran.

Leo shot him a look out of the corner of his eye. “How did it happen?”

Shinta looked at him as they came to a stop beside the portal. Even if this Leo wasn’t his father - yet, he still felt the need to assure him. “In battle. But I’m okay, I promise. Now, come on! We have to hurry!” He sprang through the portal followed by the others.

“Whoa, where are we?” Mikey asked, looking around Don’s new lab. Beside him, Donnie’s mouth hung open. He was almost drooling over the equipment in the room. Leo noted the dreamy look and shoved him towards the door.

“This is our new home.” Shinta informed them absently as he headed for the stairs. But when he reached them he paused. If he went down, they would have to deal with the girls and that would only take longer. So, instead he took to the roof again.

“We live in a hotel?” Raph asked when they were outside. “That’s just weird.”

“We needed the room.” Shinta bounded across the rooves headed for the warehouse.

Donnie blinked in surprise as they followed him. “How many of you are there?”

“Fifteen.”

“Fifteen!” Leo nearly stumbled.

Shinta shot him a quick look. “Yeah, that’s counting my Yobo and aunts and my cousins.”

“Cousins?” Raph sped up to look at him.

Shinta smiled. “Of course! You didn’t think it was just me, did you?” He winked. “Yoshi and I are best buds. But he can be a bit hot-headed at times – like his dad.” Raph’s mouth hung open for a moment. But before he could ask anything else, they had reached their destination.

Shinta stopped on a roof across from the warehouse. Leo marveled at how his future son quickly turned serious. “Okay, before the battle I counted about four dozen Foot. I’m not sure how many are left. K-three doesn’t usually pull any punches and neither does Uncle Raph or Yoshi, so there could be a lot less now. The guy that leads them is the Shredder’s son from an alternate dimension. Kaz fought him when they were just teenagers and won. But now he’s back and he’s somehow poisoned them. We have to get them out.”

Leo nodded. “Alright, this should be a simple in and out operation. We’ll get them out first and then deal with the poison.”

“Um, it’s not really that simple.”

Leo turned to Shinta with a frown. “Why?”

“Because there are eight in there and only five of us. K-three seemed to be okay, so he might be able to help.” Fear and worry crossed the young turtle’s face. “I don’t how bad things will be in there either.”

Leo put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, we can handle this. We’ll get them out.”

Shinta gave a firm nod. Even in his younger form, his father exuded the powerful confidence he always had. They followed as the young Leo leapt silently onto the roof of the warehouse. He yanked off the air duct cover and jumped inside. Shinta followed, then Raph, Don and Mikey. They crept along until there was an opening. Leo edged aside so Shinta could see. Shinta counted the bodies of the floor beneath them. The Foot hadn’t seen a need to move the unconscious turtles. “There’s only five!” Shinta felt his pulse race. “That’s not right!” He struggled to keep his voice low.

Leo frowned. “You’re sure the others were here?”

“Yes. When I left they were all here. And everyone except K-three was sick.”

Leo examined the scene below again. He squeezed Shinta’s shoulder with an apologetic frown. “I’m sorry, but we’ll have to look for them later. Right now we have to get these guys out.”

Shinta gave a small shaky nod. A tiny spec of hope swirled within him that maybe some of them got out after he left. And if they had, maybe he could find them close by. Leo gave a silent signal before he pushed open the grate to land silently on the catwalk. The others quickly followed. Beneath them were Lanius and Kyoudai, while several Foot soldiers paced up and down the perimeter. Shinta had been right that their ranks would be thinner. There seemed to be only two dozen compared to the early four.

Now, the question was would the five of them be able to handle two dozen while also trying to rescue five incapacitated turtles. Because although the five weren’t being heavily guarded at the moment, they were laying out in the open. Which meant as soon as they made a move the Foot would be on them.

Raph watched as first Leo set his jaw then Shinta did as well. Almost in unison the two sprang from the catwalk to land right in the center of the fallen family members. Shinta grabbed his father and pulled his much larger body across his shoulders. Young Leo grabbed for the nearest body and was surprised to find it a petite female. The others followed suit, picking up their older selves.

“More? Why wasn’t I told there were more of them! Doctor, gas them now!” Kyoudai shouted, his soldiers already moving towards the newcomers.

But young Leo was not giving them much opportunity to attack as he was racing towards the back door.

Lanius sputtered. “There are no more gas grenades!”

Kyoudai spun on him, half hauling him off the ground by his shirt front. “What!”

Lanius’ eyes widened in fear. “We-we used them all, Lord Kyoudai. I didn’t have enough to make a second batch.”

Kyoudai growled and threw the doctor to the side. “Worthless!” He sprang over the rail of the small platform and charged after the escaping group. “I’ll finish you myself!”

“He’s coming!” Young Mikey called from the rear. Young Raph slowed his pace just a bit to put his younger brother ahead of him. If anyone was going to fight the crazy wannabe Shredder, it was going to be him.

“Donnie! We need some cover!” Young Leo ordered.

Young Don pulled a shuriken and aimed it at the electrical box, hitting it just right to send them into darkness. Ahead, young Leo and Shinta easily took out the few Foot that got in their way. And then they were bursting out the door into the cool night air. Remembering the van, Shinta turned in that direction. “This way!”

Kyoudai’s voice rose behind them. “Fools! Follow them! Do not let them escape!”

The group ran as quickly as they could, but the Foot were nearly on their heels. Shinta was grateful for the new much larger van when he reached it. He threw open the back doors and eased his father onto the metal floor. His eyes lingered on his face which was half covered in a blackish bruise. His skin was also showing spotting where blood had begun to pool beneath it. Then Shinta hurried back to help the others. “Uncle Don’s got the keys!” He called to the younger version of his uncle as he pummeled two soldiers.

Leo laid Mira inside and returned to help Shinta hold off the Foot, while Donnie laid his older self on the floor and began to dig for the keys. He found them in the first pouch he tried and jumped into the driver’s seat. Mikey laid his older self on the floor as well and frowned. “Donnie, they don’t look good.”

“I’ll have to check them out when we get back.” Donnie started the engine.

Raph laid his older self down and turned to Leo. “Come on! Let’s go!” Both Leo and Shinta leapt into the back, closing the doors behind them. Donnie didn’t waste any time as he sped away from the soldiers still trying to give chase.

After a few minutes, young Leo moved up to the passenger’s seat. “Drive around for a bit, Donnie. We don’t want them following us home.” Don merely gave a nod as he’d already planned to do that.

Shinta moved up to kneel between his father and Mira. He cupped his head. “Father?” He felt a lump grow in his throat when there was no response. “It’ll be okay. We’ll find a cure.”

Seeing the pain in Shinta’s eyes, young Mikey moved up to put a hand on his shoulder. Shinta didn’t look at him, afraid the tears would spill free. After a bit of driving around and making certain they weren’t followed, they returned to the lair.

Shinta helped his father through the door and laid him on the dojo mats. Young Leo followed with Mira, young Donatello with his older self, Raph with his older self, and lastly Mikey with his older self. They each in turn laid the ailing turtles on the mats. The older turtles were unconscious, except for Mira who was still partly aware of her surroundings - just barely. Shinta knelt beside her. “Mira, can you hear me?”

“Shinta? It feels like my insides are being ripped apart. I think it’s some kind of anti-mutagen.” He held her hand as her face scrunched in pain.

“Anti-mutagen?” Young Donnie knelt down to look at her.

She blinked at him in confusion. “Dad?”

“No, Mira, this is…a friend.” Shinta wasn’t certain how to explain it.

Young Donnie looked up at Shinta. “She’s my daughter!”

Shinta nodded, but wasn’t able to say anything else as the door to the living room burst open and the girls came rushing in. Jamie was the first inside, grabbing Shinta in tight embrace. “Oh, sweetheart! We’ve been so worried!” Her eyes latched onto Leo and she fell to her knees beside him. “Leo!” She cupped his face, but he was unresponsive. “No! What happened to you!” Young Leo watched the interaction with interest. He had to admit, the woman leaning over his older self was very beautiful.

Kala was the next in and she paid everyone else little attention as she ran to Mikey’s side. Her eyes only for him. “Mikey!” She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face against it. “Wake up! Please!”

The younger Mikey stared at her in awe. “Kala?” It had been some time since he’d seen the Neutrinos.

She wiped her eyes and looked up at him. “Who…?” She shook her head and looked around, her face paling. “Kaz! Kazzey!”

“I got separated from everyone. I went to get help and when I came back, he wasn’t there. Neither were K-three and Yoshi.” Shinta explained from his place knelt beside his father and stepmother.

“What!” Cat exclaimed as she entered with Sarah’s almost unconscious form draped around her shoulders. “Yoshi isn’t here!” Her eyes shot to Raph on the floor. “No!” She hurried forward, nearly dropping Sarah onto Donnie as she fell across Raph. “No! Oh, God, please no!” She grabbed his face. “Raph open your eyes! Don’t you do this to me again!”

Young Raphael couldn’t prevent the level of amazement and astonishment that passed across his face. This woman made his heart jump and pound. He couldn’t have imagined a more perfect creature in his wildest dreams.

Sarah pulled herself onto Donnie’s plastron. “Donnie…” His hand came up to grip her arm. It was the first movement any of the brothers had made. But it was clear he was still out cold. “I won’t leave you….” Her tears trickled down to pool on his chest.

Young Donatello was staring unabashedly at her. “Sarah!” Dozens of emotions tumbled around inside him. Jealousy towards the older turtle, relief that he knew she would be with him again someday, fear for her obviously ill appearance, and a great deal of confusion.

The last to enter the room was Ona, Katsu propped on her hip. “What’s going on?”

“Mommy!” Katsu scrambled out of Ona’s arms to run across the floor. “Mommy! Mommy!” He clung to Mira, dampening her shirt front with his tears.

Mira wrapped an arm around him. “Shh, it’s alright. There, there, that’s my big boy.” She stroked his head, still only half aware of her surroundings. Young Don blinked. His daughter had a child? His gaze fell on his would-be grandson in utter amazement. Mira turned her head to where her parents lay beside her. “Mom?”

Sarah opened her cloudy eyes and reached out a hand towards her. “Mira…I’m here, sweetie.”

Mira took it. She turned her worried gaze back to the young Donatello. “Help them. So…much…pain.” She ground her teeth. What she was feeling from her parents was so much more than her own pain. She suddenly gave a cry.

Shinta turned towards her. “Mira, what is it?”

“Kane! They’re hurting him!” She gave another scream and passed out, making Katsu wail.

 “Mira! Mira!” Shinta looked around in a panic. “I don’t know what to do!”

Ona hurried over to gather the tot back into her arms. She scanned the room. “Kazzey! Where is Kaz!”

“He’s missing. Along with K-three and Yoshi.” Kala told her.

Ona shook her head as if dispelling it as a lie. “No…”

Young Leo’s hand landed on Shinta’s shoulder. “It’s okay. We’ll find them. Donnie?”

“We could track their turtle-coms.” The young genius suggested.

Jamie looked up at young Leo’s voice and her eyes wide. “Who are you?”

Young Leo blushed, not sure how to answer. Shinta sat up a little straighter. “They’re from the past. I had to get help somehow. Everyone was poisoned except me and,” he lowered his head shamefully, “I couldn’t have saved them on my own.”

Jamie frowned slightly, leaning across her spouse to embrace her stepson. “You did what you had to do. I’m very proud of you and your father will be too.”

Shinta returned the embrace. “Thank you, Yobo.”

Young Leo nodded. “We’re here to help. And we understand there are still some of your family missing. So, let us help you find them.”

“They don’t use turtle-coms anymore.” Cat pulled her cell from her pocket and pressed her thumb to it to unlock it. “We use cell phones.”

Raph took the device from her and she smiled at the younger version of her husband. He smiled back and handed the phone to his brother. Donnie examined it for only a moment. “I should still be able to track them with it, if theirs are still functioning.” After another few moments, he frowned. “I’m not finding any other signals on this network outside of here.”

Ona clutched Katsu and began to cry. “No, no!”

Kala stood to take her daughter-in-law into her arms. “He’s alive! I know it! Hush now…”

Jamie stood and took Katsu from her. The two were likely feeding off one another, so it was better if she took care of the tot for the time being. She rubbed gently on Ona’s back. “He only means their phones are off or broken. It doesn’t mean that anything has happened to them.” But even as she spoke, Jamie could feel the seed of dread growing in her.

Young Donnie looked down at the five sick turtles and Sarah. “In any case, for the moment, we need to focus on getting these guys better. I’ve never seen anti-mutagen work like this before.” He frowned at Sarah and knelt to brush a hand across her head. “And why is Sarah being affect by it? She’s human, not a mutant.”

“Mazar, actually.” Cat corrected, but she understood his confusion. “Their bond causes their bodies to share injures. It also helps them to heal faster.”

Young Don frowned. “I’m not sure I understand.” He brushed a hand across her head again and her eyes opened a little.

“Trans…fusion…”

He looked down at her with worry. “Transfusion?” He shook his head, totally confused.

Kala lit up and she pulled Ona back to where Mikey lay. “Yes! That’s it! When Mikey was poisoned before by Kyoudai, Donnie gave them all transfusions. Remember, Cat?”

Cat nodded. “Yes, he said the re-introduction of mutated DNA would heal Napoleon and Genghis and the others. And it did.”

Leo frowned. “We are willing to give our blood, but what about…uh, Mira.”

Jamie settle back between Leo and Mira. “I wasn’t here when this happened before. But Leo told me. The children can only take their own blood. Mira’s DNA is a mix of Don and Sarah, if she takes anyone else’s it could kill her.”

“Then how are we gonna help her?” Young Mikey frowned, twitching his fingers.

“She has stored blood in the lab.” Cat started to get up but paused to kiss Raph softly first. “I’ll show you and I know where the transfusion kits are too.”

Young Leo looked at his brother. “Will this work Don?”

Young Donnie nodded. “It should, the theory is sound.”

“Let’s get started then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going out of town for a few weeks, so it may be a bit before I update again. BTW, thanks for all the kudos and comments!


	8. Strange Fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back from vacation! Thanks for waiting on the update guys. -shakes head- Sometimes I think my family is trying to live off the grid. All they'd need is some solar panels and I think they would be. But as much as I like all their wild critters, it's good to be home. BTW, the next chapter wont be long till it's posted. Just have a little left on it.

K-three woke to find himself hanging from a set of shackles. To his left, hung Yoshi and Kaz from similar shackles. They seemed to be in some type of storeroom. His body ached from the Tasers, but he tried to pull himself free anyways. Inside, he could feel Mira’s pain and he wanted desperately to be with her. There was no way of knowing what shape the brothers were in. But K-three feared they might be dead by now. Glancing at the two young mutants beside him, he guessed the only reason they were doing better was because they were not fully mutant turtles and their DNA was not breaking down as quickly. It gave him a tentative hope.

K-three glanced around the room, noting that their weapons and phones were gone. He made sure they were alone before he spoke. “Kaz? Yoshi?” Both opened their eyes just a bit and he let a heavy breath of relief. “Are you alright?”

Kaz tried without success to lift himself up a little to give his aching wrists some relief. “It feels like I’m being torn apart from the inside out.”

Yoshi groaned. “Yeah, I feel like my muscles are turnin’ to jelly.”

K-three was twisting his hands inside his cuffs. “Do you think you can walk?”

“Don’t know.” Kaz tried again to stand. “It hurts to move.”

“We need to get out of here.” K-three tried again to pull free, but he was still weak.

“You’re not going anywhere.” Kyoudai entered the room with four soldiers. “Not until you tell me where your hiding place is.” The young man’s eyes went to K-three. “And why you are not affected by the anti-mutagen.”

“Because I’m not a mutant.” K-three glared, squaring his shoulders and somehow managing to look intimidating despite his chained hands. “I’m Turtleoid.”

“I see. Then you will be the one to give me the location of the others.”

K-three snorted. “I’ll never do that.”

Kyoudai’s eyes narrowed above the metal mask as he marched forward and took hold of Yoshi’s mask, yanking his head back to expose his throat. “Oh, I think you will.”

Although he had no strength to fight him, Yoshi growled. “Don’t tell him nothin’!”

K-three growled, but said nothing. Kyoudai glared at the two and hit Yoshi across the face, leaving a bloody cut along one side.

“Leave him alone!” K-three pulled at his bounds.

Kyoudai smirked behind his mask. “I will not. Not until I am given the location of the young ones.”

K-three was a little confused by the question. All he could figure was the guy was talking about Shinta and Katsu, and he would never give that up. He would rather die. “No.”

“You will or you will watch these two suffer and die before your very eyes.” Kyoudai slammed his gauntlet covered fist into Kaz’s stomach.

The turtle opened his blue eyes to glare at him. “You still hit like a girl. I’ve kicked your ass before and I’ll do it again. Just let me loose.” Kyoudai’s response was to hit him in the jaw. Kaz’s head jerked back and when he leveled his gaze at the young man again, he spat in his face a mouth full of blood. It was Kyoudai’s turn to growl as he hit him again. Kaz snarled, baring his teeth.

“Stop it!” K-three couldn’t let this get out of hand.

Kyoudai moved to stand in front of the Turtleoid. “I will, when you tell me what I want to know.”

K-three just glared back. “Never gonna happen.”

Kyoudai’s cold brown eyes held the turtle’s gold gaze for a linger moment. “As you wish.” He turned to the Foot near the door, giving them some kind of signal. He shot the three turtles one last look over his shoulder. “I will return in one hour. I’m certain by then you will be ready to speak.” As he left the Foot soldiers pulled out several weapons – katana, tanto, shuriken, whip, bo, and nunchakus. The three turtles exchanged looks, reaffirming their silent agreement to say nothing.

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Star rolled the pen on the counter back and forth. It was so boring to work week nights. But no one else wanted the shift and she was the new girl, so of course she was stuck with it. She glanced up at the two teens browsing the row of CDs. The two were having an animated conversation about who the best rock band was. She didn’t honestly care as long as someone bought something – soon. Because they’d been standing there for at least fifteen minutes and she was starting to suspect they were shoplifting.

And as much as she might not have cared if they did or not, she didn’t want that to happen on her shift. Sighing, she lifted her head to look at them more directly. “You guys need help with anything?”

“Uh, yeah.” One strolled over waving a CD and the other followed. “We were looking for the most recent Avenged Sevenfold album. But all it looks like you have is the last one that came out last year.”

Star took the CD case and examined it. “Yeah, looks like it. You want me to check in back to see if the new one ever came in?”

The second guy nodded. “We’ve looked at three other stores already, but you guys have the most recent stuff.”

Star frowned. She didn’t like leaving the front without someone watching it. But it was nearly closing time and she needed to get these guys hooked up and out of there, so she could lock up. She straightened up. “I’ll check. Will you guys be cool here for a minute?”

“Sure.” The first one smiled at her and she turned her back on them with a roll her eyes. She walked through the door leading to the storage area. Her boss was a bit odd in that he didn’t like her coming back here, but he hadn’t been around today. She had no idea why he didn’t want her back here. But the guy was just weird all around with his sunken eyes and skeletal arms. She rubbed her face. Ever since she’d started this job, she’d been really tired.

She had only gone a few feet into the back when she heard a strange noise. It sounded like muffled curses and groans. Unable to stop herself, she moved in the direction. It was strange just how much room was in the back of the music store. It was nearly three times as much as the store front itself.

Someone gave a cry of pain and a gruff voice growled. “Leave ‘im alone!”

Her eyes widened in recognition. _Yoshi!_ She hadn’t seen him since the night in the park, when…. She wasn’t sure what had happened. All she remembered was waking up and feeling sore the next morning. She didn’t remember him leaving or her going to sleep or anything. She hadn’t known what to do after that. There had been a definite spark between them and she was very interested in seeing where it went, but she couldn’t remember what had happened. Was he mad at her? Had they ended on good terms?

Yoshi’s roar of pain brought her back to the moment. “Yoshi!” Another male voice called in a panicked tone. Star started towards a junction in the hall she was in, but paused as a shadow moved ahead of her. She edged to the corner to peek around. Three guys in black jumpsuits came out a door and moved off through a back door that she hadn’t known was there.

The room they’d come out of had a small window, so she crept over and peered inside. She pressed a hand over her mouth to muffle the scream that wanted to escape her. She flattened herself against the wall beside the door. What the heck was going on! There were three giant turtle things in that room along with another guy in black. _But I know I heard Yoshi…_

Kaz sagged in his chains, dangling like a rag doll. He was spent. The poison in his system was eating him alive and the beating he’d just endured was not helping matters. It was merely breaking down the already vulnerable blood vessels on the surface of his skin and the tender organs his shell protected. Beside him, Yoshi ground his teeth in pain. The dagger sticking out of his left thigh, produced a stream of blood that was pooling on the floor beneath him.

K-three had taken the worst of the beating. Lacerations covered his body and shurikens were stuck in the tops of his feet and in the tender flesh of his underarms. But he was still holding his own. He didn’t have the poison fighting him from the inside. “Yoshi! Are you okay, Yoshi?”

“I’m fine. Havin’ a bit of trouble stayin’ awake though.” Yoshi’s head lulled to one side and rolled almost uncontrolled back to rest on the bridge of his shell.

The lone Foot soldier moved forward with another blade. During the whole ordeal not one had spoken. But they didn’t have to. The three knew what was wanted and until one spilled the location of their home, they’d continue being tortured. The soldier pressed the tanto to Kaz’s throat. The turtle lifted his head, eyes a cold blue. “We won’t tell you anything.” The blade dug into his flesh, causing blood to trickle down his chest.

K-three tried to kick at the soldier, but the chains on his ankles prevented him from moving much. “Get your hands off him!”

But the blade pressed harder and Kaz hissed as it dug into his flesh. “Kill me, if you want. I won’t let Kyoudai anywhere near my family!”

Yoshi groaned. “Don’t waste your breath, Kaz. This scum don’t know what real family is.”

Star listened outside the room, her hand still pressed to her mouth and her heart pounding like a drum. _Family?_ These men in black were trying to hurt Yoshi’s family? She recalled how he’d been so protective of his younger cousin at the arcade. How he’d rushed to his side when they’d started fighting. She recalled how he’d smiled at her in the park and how warm his green eyes had been. She edged back to the window to look at the three turtles. Without even trying she could guess which was Yoshi. He was slightly taller than the others and much bulkier. As she watched, the turtle opened green eyes to glare at the man holding a knife on a second turtle. There beyond the pain and anger were the eyes she knew – soulful and deep. _It is him!_

Without another thought she threw open the door. The ninja turned just in time to meet the heel of her boot as she kicked him square in the jaw. He fell to the floor like a rock. Yoshi’s mouth hung open, gaping at her like a fish without water. “Star?”

Her name from his lips only confirmed that he was the Yoshi she knew. She grabbed the keys from a box where they’d been laid. K-three looked the girl up and down. She was pretty small and wasn’t likely to stand much of a chance if the other three Foot came back. “Better unhook me first, just in case the others come back.” She did as he asked, first pulling the shurikens from where they stuck into his flesh.  Then he took the keys to unlock the other two turtles.

Yoshi nearly crumpled to the ground when his hands were unshackled. She caught him, supporting him. His green eyes were full of confusion and longing as he met her pale blue ones. “I don’t understand… You took off. I thought…” He looked away. “I thought you didn’t like me anymore.”

Her fingers gently pressed his cheek, making sure to avoid the cut, so he would meet her gaze again. “No, that’s not it at all. I’m not sure what happened. But that is definitely not it.”

K-three cleared his throat, making them look at him. “I hate to break this up – whatever this is, but we need to get out of here now. Kyoudai will be back soon. It’s been nearly an hour.” He pulled Kaz’s arm over his shoulders.

Yoshi nodded and looked down at the blade in his leg. It would have to come out. He couldn’t walk with it in there. Gritting his teeth, he yanked it out and let it fall to the ground. “Ready.”

Star frowned at Yoshi and the blood dripping down his leg. "I don't think that's such a good idea." She allowed him to lean against the wall and squatted to yank the mask off the fallen soldier. Taking it, she found the seam and ripped it open. "Maybe not the most sanitary thing, but it will have to do." As she tied the mask around his thigh, Yoshi blushed.  Both her hands and breath were warm against the sensitive skin.

Kaz frowned, his eyes locking on the man that lay face down on the floor. "Let me down, K-three."

The older turtle frowned. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just see something." K-three slowly lowered Kaz to the floor. The younger turtle reached out to pluck something out of the back of the soldier's neck. "What do you think this is?"

K-three took the small object and rolled it around his palm. "Some sort of mind control device."

Kaz snarled. "Lanius..."

K-three shook his head. "We'll deal with him later. Right now we need to get you two home and figure out what happened to everyone else. Shinta is the only one that got away before I blacked out." He hauled Kaz back to his feet and Star pulled one of Yoshi's arms over her shoulders. He tried not to put too much of his weight on her smaller form, but he was terribly weak from the anti-mutagen. "Come on." K-three opened the door a crack to check the hall beyond. To his great relief it was empty. They were in no shape for a fight. 

At the end of the hall was an exit and he turned towards it, but Star stopped him. "No! That's the way those other guys went."

K-three glanced at her. "How do you know?"

"Because I saw them leave that way." She looked around. "This way. I know another way out." Turning back towards the front of the store, she led the way, until they reached the doors she’d come through earlier. "Wait here." She let Yoshi lean against the wall again. Hurrying into the front of the store, she was surprised to see the two teens still waiting.

"Hey, did you find it?""

Star blinked at them for an instant. Then it struck her that she had forgotten the CD. She shook her head as she ushered them quickly to the door. "Nope, sorry, don't have it. Try back next week." The two boys sputtered as they were shoved out the door. "Sorry, we're closing." She shut the door and locked it as they stared at her in shock through the glass. She smiled at them and shut off the lights, flipping the open sign to closed. Strolling quickly back towards the storeroom area, she paused to be certain the teens were gone before opening the door. "Okay, let's go."

Yoshi groaned softly as she took his weight again. Star looked up at him in concern. "You okay, big guy?"

He forced a smile. "Yeah. But we better get movin'." Star nodded and helped him through the door with Kaz and K-three trailing behind her.

Yoshi looked around them as she walked them through the store to another door that opened into an opposite alley from where the Foot had exited earlier. He observed the rows of shelves with music. "Where are we?"

Star blushed a little. "Um, my knew job." He blinked at her in surprise. "Yeah, I guess it wasn't as great as I thought it was. I always thought my boss was a bit off, but this is just crazy."

Kaz spoke up from behind them. "He's not really skinny and creepy with beady eyes, is he?"

Star frowned as she pushed open the door. "Yeah, he is."

K-three tried to close the heavy metal door quietly, but his efforts were in vain as Kaz suddenly pushed away from him to grab Star's arm. In one swift movement he pulled her away from Yoshi, one hand grabbing at the nape of her neck. She gave a sharp cry and Yoshi turned, slamming his cousin against the wall with a raised fist. "What the shell do you think you're doin'!"

Kaz struggled under his larger cousin's furious grip. "Wait! Look!" He held up his hand, revealing the small device. It was just like the one they'd pulled off the soldier earlier.

Yoshi's eyes widened, but he still glared at him. "You could have warned her at least."

Kaz shook his head. "No, I couldn't. Whoever is monitoring her might have overheard."

K-three frowned. "We are just lucky you found it before we got home. We don't need to be followed."

Yoshi turned to find tears trickling down Star's cheeks. He pulled her to him and brushed her hair from the back of her neck. "Let me see." She slowly moved the hand she had pressed to her neck. Blood dripped down her back and he ground his teeth. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah." But her voice was quaked with pain, causing Yoshi to glare at Kaz again.

"Alright, we need to move. They'll see we are missing soon. We need to find a phone and get home." K-three turned Kaz down the alley. Yoshi again leaned on Star, but with a bit more caution.

"I'm sorry. I don't have a cell or you could use it." She said as they moved off.

"No, it's better you don't. It's likely they'd be tracking it anyways." K-three assured her. They were several blocks away when Kaz began to sway. "Kaz?"

He was panting. "I...I can't go on...too weak..." His knees buckled and K-three struggled to ease him to the ground. The black blotches were beginning to appear beneath his skin.

Yoshi, who was also appearing a bit disoriented, groaned and plopped heavily on the ground. "A break sounds really good."

K-three rubbed at his aching ribs, which he was pretty certain at least one was broken. His own breathing was heavy as he measured Star where she knelt beside Yoshi with a concerned frown. "Stay with them. I'll get to a phone." Placing a hand on each turtle's shoulder, he squeezed warmly. "Hang in there guys, we'll be home soon." He turned to the end of the alley, pausing only for a split second to look back at them. He was not going to let another brother die.


	9. What the Future Holds

Donatello had insisted on hearing the entire story about the anti-mutagen before doing anything. Once he learned that a cure had already been created for this particular poison, he had dug through his older self's new lab in search of notes regarding it, which by some miracle had survived the destruction of the lair. It had not taken long to locate the correct file as the new computer console responded to his voice. He had been equally thrilled to see that everyone had stored blood. Thus the younger team would not have to weaken themselves by giving up their own.

But he was not going to take any chances. So before administering the antidote, he drew a vial of blood from his older self and tested it. The results were positive and so within a half hour he had already given them each a dose and hocked up the bags of stored blood. Mira seemed to respond the quickest, perhaps because her body had sustained less damage than the others.

Young Raph watched as Cat cradled the older turtle's head in her lap. He cleared his throat nervously and she looked up at him. He blushed a bit. "Um, so, uh, how did we meet?"

Cat couldn't help the smile. This younger version of her spouse was just too cute. "You nearly ran me over with your motorcycle." She laughed at the horrified expression he made. "You were just lucky I'm a great biker." She smirked when he blinked.

"You're a biker?"

She chuckled. "Yeah." Looking down at Raph, she stroked his cheek and kissed his forehead. "It was the best accident I've ever been in." She glanced towards the door and the young turtle frowned.

"You're worried about....Yoshi?"

Cat gave a shaky nod, her eyes fixed on her Raph again. "Our son is strong, like his father, but...this....poison. It could kill him and if he dies..." Tears began a slow progression down her cheeks. "I just can't lose them. They are my everything..." She hugged Raph's head tightly, but gently. Young Raph watched wishing he could do more.

Nearby, Kala held one of Mikey's large hands pressed to her cheek while she whispered to him how much she needed him. Young Mikey waited until her mumblings had stopped before he approached her. Kneeling beside her, he looked down at his older self. The turtle was covered in scars that he didn't have yet and there were small wrinkles around his mouth and eyes that were signs of age. "So, uh, you and I finally hooked up?"

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and gave him a small smile. "Yeah, but it won't be for a while for you."

"But you finally realized just how awesome I am, right?" He grinned, flexing a muscle.

She gave him another warm smile. "You were always awesome to me, Michelangelo. It just took me a while to see how much I needed you and your awesomeness." Her gaze fell to her spouse. "And now I couldn't imagine life without either." She looked up at him and met his bright youthful blue eyes.  Those eyes didn't know what would happen to her or the life she'd have to endure before he'd' see her again. They only saw her as the young teenage girl with hopeful eyes and round cheeks. It was refreshing and troubling, making her heart long for the moment her Mikey would open his eyes. Leaning over, she pecked younger turtle’s cheek. "Thank you for helping, Mikey."

He sighed, his expression turning serious as he slipped an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry. Donnie will work his magic and they'll be up in no time." She allowed the small sideways hug and gave a slow nod of hopeful agreement.

Mira slowly sat up and gazed down at her parents laying deathly still beside her. Stretching a hand out, she touched her mother's shoulder. But there was no response. She'd slipped into unconsciousness some time ago. Mira frowned. Although her own pain had lessened quickly enough, theirs had not. But what encouraged her was that she could still feel their spirits fighting. A hand landed on her arm and she looked up into familiar eyes. "How are you feeling?"

Mira couldn't help but stare. This younger version of her father reminded her of what he looked like when she was a small child. "I'm still in some pain, but better. Thank you, uh, Dad."

Young Donnie blushed. "I guess at some point I will be your dad." He looked down at his older self. "It also looks like at some point we are going to get a lot bigger too."

Mira chuckled. "The boys didn't stop growing until they were twenty. Me, on the other hand. I stopped when I was sixteen." She smiled. "But what else could I expect with Mom being so small."

Young Don looked down at the petite female curled half on top of his older self and his voice cracked as he spoke. "I thought I'd never see her again. But now it's almost like I can feel her pain."

"You can." Mira told him flatly. "Just like I can feel my mate's pain."

Donnie shook his head. "I don't understand."

"She has already bonded with you." She sighed, lifting one of her father's large limp hands to press it between hers. "You don't have to understand it now. You'll see her in a few years and when you do, you'll understand." He nodded, taking her at her word.

Across the room, Katsu sat up on his little palette where he'd been sleeping. He rubbed his little eyes with a chubby fist and then spotted his mother sitting up. He scurried over to hug her. "Mommy, are you okay now?"

She hugged him tightly. "Yes, sweetheart. And I'm sorry we scared you." Beside them, young Don smiled at the tender scene.

"Where's Daddy? I want Daddy too." Katsu wept into her shoulder.

Mira shuddered, clenching her eyes closed in pain. "So do I."

Leo surveyed the room, watching each of his brothers interact with their future wives and children. Chairs were lined along the mats with bags of blood hanging from them. He had to admit that this future family was well equipped and well versed on their medical needs. Each had played a role in setting up the makeshift infirmary, which was apparently in their dojo.

His eyes fell back to the woman leaning over his older self. She stroked the older turtle's cheek tenderly and he felt a lump grow in his throat as he watched. She seemed to sense his eyes on her and looked up at him. Without thinking he moved to kneel across from her. "May I ask you a question?"

Her smile was warm and genuine. "Of course." His eyes shifted to where Shinta was pacing with Ona near the small window at the rear of the dojo. She sighed. "You want to know about Shinta's mother?"

Leo frowned. "Why does he call you yobo? What happened?"

"I'm not his biological mother. She died a very long time ago, before we met. She was killed by a demon. The same demon that now hunts Shinta."

Leo's eyes grew wide. "A demon!"

She nodded. "She was a powerful priestess from Japan." She held her Leo a little closer. "And he loved her very much." She glanced at her stepson. "Shinta never got to meet her. Sarah was his surrogate mother until I found him when he was small. It's because of him that Leo and I met. And we realized how desperately we needed one another to heal the pain of both our pasts and to learn to live again." She kissed him softly, her eyes lingering on the blackish bruise covering one side of his face. "I still need you." She whispered softly. Young Leo placed a hand over hers and she allowed a small sad smile. He returned it, true understanding in his blue eyes.

The sound of Shinta's cell ringing ripped through the oppressive air. He scrambled to pull it from his belt. "Hello?...K-three! Oh, thank goodness! Are Yoshi and Kaz with you?....Okay, I got it. We'll be there soon, just hang in there." He hung up, his eyes shining with joy. "They're okay for now, but we need to get them back here fast."

Young Leo stood. "Right. Don you stay here and keep an eye on everyone. We'll go with Shinta to get them."

Donnie handed him two syringes. "Give them the antidote as soon as you find them."

Leo nodded. "Raph, Mike, come on." He started for the door but Ona stopped them.

"I'm coming with you!"

Shinta frowned. "But-"

She glared. "I _am_ coming with you!"

Shinta wanted to argue, but Leo put up a hand. "There's no time to argue. Let her come." He moved past them out the back door. Sighing, Shinta followed.

It took nearly ten minutes to locate their wayward family members. But at last they pulled up to the end of the alley. Star was sitting next to Yoshi, his head on her shoulder. Shinta blinked at her in surprise. "Star?"

She looked up at him with worry in her eyes. "Shinta, right?" He nodded and her expression turned urgent. "Please help them."

Ona was the second to leave the van as she rushed over to where Kaz was slumped against the wall. "Kazzey!" She dropped to her knees in front of him, cupping his face. "Kazzey, wake up! Please!"

He opened his eyes just a slit. "Ona? Babe, what are doing here? The Foot..."

Tears trickled down her round cheeks. "I came to get you. I couldn't just....Oh! You big lug!" She kissed him and he leaned into her. "I was so scared."

"I'm sorry..." He opened his eyes to see the younger version of Leo, Raph and Mikey step out of the van. "What the..."

K-three had managed to get to his feet and stared gaping at them. "Oh, no!" His heart jumped into his throat as he came to the wrong conclusion. If that anti-mutagen could de-age the brothers to teenagers, what would it do to Mira?

Shinta caught the panicked look on his face. "Mira is fine. These guys are from the past. I had to use Uncle Don's portal. She's at home with the others."

K-three sagged heavily against the brick wall. "Thank goodness." He mumbled under his breath.

Young Leo moved forward. "We still need to get them back, so Donnie can do the transfusion."

Shinta helped Star with Yoshi. "Easy, bro, we got you."

Leo helped K-three inside as Mikey took ahold of one of Kaz's arms. He watched the younger version of his father with unfocused eyes full of confusion. "When did you get so short, Dad?"

Mikey smirked. "Just haven't hit that growth spirt yet."

Ona couldn't prevent the small chuckle. Kaz sounded a bit loopy. "We better give them the antidote right away. Or we're going to be in for a round of really bad knock-knock jokes soon." She eased him into a seat. Yoshi was helped into the seat beside him. Raph stared at his future son for a moment before climbing back into the driver's seat with a mystified look in his eyes. Leo pulled the two syringes out and stared at them for a moment. Then he turned his gaze to K-three.

"Donnie only gave me two doses. But don't you need one too?"

K-three waved a dismissive hand at him, eyes half closed. "I'm not a mutant. I'm a Turtleoid." At Leo's shocked expression, he sighed. "Long story."

As they started for home, Shinta turned his attention to Star. "I don't understand. Did you know about, well, us?" He gestured to their obvious appearance.

She watched Leo cautiously as he injected Yoshi with the antidote. "I didn't know. I found them in the back of the shop I was working at." She squeezed Yoshi's hand, watching his jaw clench and unclench in pain. "Somehow I knew it was him, even though he didn't look the same."

Shinta frowned. "But based on what Yoshi told us, you weren't interested."

Her hand rose to the wound in her neck that still trickled blood. "No, that wasn't what happened..." She closed her eyes tightly. "I don't know exactly what happened but I know that was definitely not it."

The young turtle's face scrunched in confusion. "How can you not know what happened? You were there, weren't you?"

K-three provided the explanation. "She had a mind control device embedded in her neck. We're pretty sure it was Lanius's doing. And if so, he was sure to wipe her memory."

Star dropped her chin a little. "I have been having black outs. I just thought it was from too much stress and not enough to eat." Yoshi squeezed her hand and she looked up into his green eyes to find them full of emotion. He was too ill now to speak, but his eyes spoke volumes. She couldn't have identified one dominate emotion if asked, there were so many - concern, anger, sorrow, pity, more anger. She stroked her free hand down his arm. "It's okay, I promise."

Shinta watched the exchange and finally gave an approving nod before moving off to sit in the passenger seat.

Ona, meanwhile, was crouched beside Kaz's chair, clutching one of his large hands in hers. "Stay with me Kazzey. Please don't leave me." He cracked his eyes open to look down at her and tried to work his mouth, failing. She climbed to her feet, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Shh, don't try to speak." He rolled his head deeper into her embrace with a soft sigh. "I know. I love you too."

Mikey watched the couple with growing excitement. Not only did his son have a girl, but she was actually his wife. That meant he would likely have grandchildren like Donnie obviously did. He smiled a little to himself as they pulled around behind the hotel.

Leo helped K-three to the door, but when he saw his mate, he pushed away and fell to his knees beside her.

"Kane!" She pressed kissed across his face as he took her in his arms.

"My sweet flower, you're alright. I was so worried."

She nodded against his plastron. "Yes, I'm feeling better now," She leaned back to look at his battered body. "But you're hurt."

He sighed, pulling her tight against him again. "They're nothing as long as you're safe." His gaze fell to Don and Sarah. "How are they?"

Mira frowned. "Getting better - slowly."

Kaz appeared in the door, leaning on Ona and Mikey. Kala rushed to them, throwing her arms around her son's neck. "Kazzey! You're alive!"

Kaz smiled weakly, his body just starting to recover. "I'm alright. How's Dad?" The antidote had cleared his head enough that he understood the young turtle was not his father.

Kala shook her head, Unshed tears glistening in her eyes. "He hasn’t woken up yet, but his color is a bit better." She took his weight from the young Mikey. "Come on. We'd better get you hooked up."

As Kala and Ona helped Kaz to a place near his father, Yoshi entered with Star and Raph supporting him. Cat released her Raph to hurry across the room. "Yoshi..." She cupped his face, her fingers gently tracing the cut on one side.

Star watched with uncertainty and a tinge of concern as Yoshi leaned into the woman's touch with a heavy sigh. A moment later all her fears washed away when he spoke. "I'm okay, Mom. I promise. They got the antidote to us just in time."

Cat's shoulders sagged and her voice cracked. "I was so worried."

Yoshi gave another sigh, slipping his arm from the young Raph to wrap it around his mother. "I'm sorry."

She returned the embrace, squeezing her eyes shut, her heart aching. "You're alive. You're safe. That's all that matters." She leaned back to give him a tired smile and finally spotted Star. "Who are you?"

The teen blushed. "Um..."

"This is Star. She helped us escape. She's a friend." Yoshi explained.

Cat gazed at the girl for a moment. "You did?" Star gave a small nod and found herself being wrapped in a tight hug. "Thank you from the very bottom of my heart."

Star blinked, unsure of what to do. It had been a very long time since anyone had held her like this. Slowly she returned the embrace with one arm, the other still keeping Yoshi steady. Cat at last released her to take Yoshi’s other arm and guide him to where his father lay. She and Star eased him to his knees beside Raph. He frowned, his throat tightening at the sight of his father laying so completely still. “Dad…”

The girls knelt on either side of him. Cat stroked his arm in a soothing motion. “He’s doing a lot better. The antidote and transfusion are helping.”

“But it still may take some time to recover.” They looked up at the young Donatello. He held out the bag of blood and the transfusion line. “I need to hook you up. Now that you’ve received the antidote, the reintroduction of mutated DNA will help jump start your healing.” Yoshi gave a small nod and Cat moved aside so the IV line could be put in place.

Across the room, Sarah could feel her body slowly returning to normal. The transfusion had felt like fire as it had burned its way through her mate’s veins. As his body slowly rebuilt itself, it was becoming easier to breath. His grip was still tight on her arm, but after a while she was able to lift her head and pull herself up to press her lips against his neck. The feel of his pulse beneath them – strong and steady – was comforting. Her free hand moved up to brush his cheek. “My love…” She whispered against his skin.

He let out a low moan and his unfocused eyes opened just a slit. “Sarah…” Slowly his other arm came up to wrap around her waist.

She let out a sigh, pulling herself just a little higher so she could nuzzle against his cheek. He let out his own sigh as her love washed over him, deep and soothing. Turning his head slightly, he met her lips in a gentle chase kiss. Relief swept over Mira as she watched their slow small movements. She exchanged a quick look with her mate, before bursting into a wide grin. She couldn’t resist the urge to touch them, to make sure she wasn’t dreaming and they really were awake. She touched her father’s arm. “Dad? Mom?” When they both looked at her drowsily, she smiled. “How do you feel?”

Don groaned. “Like death warmed over.” Then his face scrunched in concern as memories of the battle came back to him. “What about you?”

“I’m feeling a lot better now.” She released her mate and child to embrace her parents. “I was worried. I’m glad you’re okay.”

Don wrapped an arm around her pulling her against him. “Yeah, me too.” His gaze fell on K-three and he frowned. “You look like crud.” He released Mira to extend his hand to his son-in-law.

K-three smirked as he took it, a sparkle in his eye. “You don’t look much better, Pops.”

Don smiled, closing his eyes. “Don’t feel much better either.”

“We should probably take a look at your wounds now.”

Sarah opened her eyes at the familiar voice that did not come from her mate. Lifting her head, she stared in unadulterated shock at the turtle standing beside them. Beneath her, Donnie gave a small growl at the suddenly uncomfortable feelings flowing through the bond. He opened his eyes again as she reigned in her emotions. As his gaze followed hers, his arms instinctively tightened around her.  “What the…”


	10. The Winding Path

Donnie allowed Sarah to shift to the side so he could sit up, but he did not release her, his gaze fixed on his younger self. It was completely irrational but he didn’t like the way his younger self was eyeing his mate with a little too much familiarity. “What is going on here?”

The younger Donnie fidgeted, but started to answer nonetheless. However, he was cut off by Shinta, who came to stand beside him. “I’m sorry, Uncle Don, but I had to use your portal to get help.” He glanced around the room at the younger group of brothers. “But it sent me to the past instead.”

Don groaned dropping his face into his free hand. “The portal…Oh, Shinta, do you realize what you’ve done?”

Young Leo frowned as he joined them. “He saved all of you, that is what he’s done.” He was feeling a bit defensive. He’d already seen his future son act with great bravery and skill.

Donnie shook his head, his tone even. He didn’t want to admonish Shinta for doing the only thing he could think of to save them, but… “You don’t understand. He’s altered the time line. When you return with knowledge of the future, this,” he gestured to their surroundings and the family spread across the large room, “may not even exist anymore.” He looked down at Sarah, cupping her cheek and holding her brown eyes with his. “Everything we have fought so hard for could be gone in an instant.” His gaze then shifted to Mira, K-three, and Katsu. “And those born of this timeline, may not be in another.”

K-three’s eyes widened and he clutched both Mira and Katsu tight against him, as if he could protect them from such a fate. Shinta’s shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry. I was trying to get Napoleon or Rasputin. I didn’t know it would send me into the past.”

Sarah shook her head, her gaze understanding yet sad. “Oh, sweetheart, you didn’t understand. How could you? You were only doing what you had to. And for that, we are grateful. Besides the portal wasn’t built to traverse time, only to pass through to other dimensions.”

Shinta felt only slightly comforted by that fact. He hadn’t realized just how much he could be messing up the past by bringing them here. Jamie appeared beside him, her arms wrapping around him and he turned into the embrace, seeking some kind of solace.

Young Mikey and young Raph had now joined them. “What if we just try to forget everything and don’t do anything different?” Mikey asked.

Donnie looked at the younger version of his eldest brother. “It’s not in your nature to let innocents die when you can stop it. You know that Shinta’s mother was killed?” The younger turtle gave a small nod. “Would you really be willing to let it happen again?” Leo didn’t answer only looked away. “No, I didn’t think so. And I know you won’t let Sarah nearly die to learn about the bond we share.” The two Donatellos’ eyes met.

“No.” The younger Don finally responded. He’d never let her get hurt if he could prevent it. Even for this bond thing they spoke of.

The older Don nodded. “Just like Raph would probably rescue Cat’s brother from being killed and Mikey would rush off to Dimension X to save Kala the beating she’ll get from Kassic. But these are things that have to happen. Otherwise our lives won’t unfold as they should.”

Raph frowned. “It’s too bad we can’t just erase all this from our memories before we go back.”

The older group froze at the words, their eyes immediately going to Ona, who was kneeling beside Kaz on the floor. “That’s not a half bad idea. Maybe we could…” Mira started, but Donnie shook his head.

“Even if we could calibrate it just for the few hours they are here, we don’t have any of Lanius’ equipment.”

K-three sat up a little straighter. “Yeah, we do.” He pulled the devices they’d removed from Star and the Foot soldier from his pocket. “We have these. They’re his newest tech it seems.”

“Where did you get those?” Donnie asked.

“Yoshi’s new friend, Star, had one stuck to her neck. We’re pretty sure he was controlling her somehow.”

Don followed K-three’s gaze to the teen kneeling beside Yoshi. He frowned. “Leo’s not gonna like that.”

“It’s alright. She helped us escape. She’s a good kid.” K-three promised.

Don nodded. “I guess we should take a look at those gadgets and see if we can use his tech to remove their memories for the past few hours.”

He started to get up, but Sarah put a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head firmly. “No way. You’re still too weak.”

“But…“ She met his gaze, allowing their bond to speak for her. Pain and exhaustion still lingered between them, and weakness from the anti-mutagen was still very dominate. Don sighed, closing his eyes as she rested her forehead against his. “I’m sorry. I know.”

He sighed again as her hands cupped his face lovingly. “Mira and K-three can do it.”

Mira nodded. “Yes, I’m feeling a lot better now. I can check them out.” K-three set the devices into her small palm and she rolled them over, examining them with a critical eye.

Young Don tore his gaze away from the couple to glance at his future daughter. “I can help. There isn’t much here to do anyways. Their vitals just need to be monitored.”

“We can do that.” Jamie took her place beside the still unmoving Leo. “We’ll let you know if anything changes.”

Donnie laid down again and Sarah curled into him, his arm still locked possessively around her waist. Mira, K-three, and young Don headed upstairs to the lab, where the Turtleoid was first patched up and then they used the scanners to examine the micro-technology of Lanius’ device.

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Raph’s body felt like a ton of bricks as it slowly came to awareness. In his mind there was a foggy memory of a battle and smoke bombs, then pain – excruciating, searing pain – that left him so weak he could barely breathe. Normally such a thing would have made him panic, but there was a familiar scent surrounding him. A scent etched into his very soul, so familiar it was a part of him like his own hand or arm. It consumed him, relaxing him more than any sedative could. He could feel her soft body around him and it was like a tether, drawing him closer to the surface. “Cat…” He murmured softly and her hands stroked his head where it rested in her lap.

He slowly opened his eyes to gaze up at her. Her eyes were swollen and puffy, and her face was still damp from tears. “Hey, tough guy.”

His hand shook as he slowly lifted it to touch her cheek with a frown. “Darlin’?”

Her body trembled as she wrapped herself around him, sobbing softly. “I almost lost you and Yoshi. Oh, Raph. I was so scared.”

His arm slipped around her, holding her with as much strength as his weakened body could muster. “I’m sorry, Darlin’.”

“Dad?”

Cat sat back, wiping at her eyes as Yoshi sat up beside them. Raph frowned at his appearance and the bandage along his left cheek. “Yoshi, what happened to you?” He stretched out his hand to his son and Yoshi took it, scooting a bit closer.

“After they hit us with the anti-mutagen, Kyoudai tried to get me, Kaz and K-three to tell him where our home is.” Yoshi scowled. “We wouldn’t talk.”

“Anti-mutagen…” So, that was why he felt so sick and weak. He understood now. “The smoke bombs.” Yoshi nodded. “How did we get out?”

Cat glanced over her shoulder at something he couldn’t see. “Shinta got help and we were able to make an antidote to the poison.”

Raph wanted to lift his head to see what she was looking at, but he was still far too weak. Just talking was tiring. “What about you?”

“We had a little help too.” Yoshi smiled, shifting his gaze to the small blonde beside him. Raph hadn’t noticed her there at first. “This is Star. Shinta and I met her a few days ago at the arcade.” Yoshi saw the concern flicker in his father’s eyes. “She helped us escape. If it wasn’t for her, we’d still be Kyoudai’s prisoners.”

Raph gave a slight nod, his eyes beginning to drift closed again. “Thank you.”

Star set her jaw, anger flickering beneath the pale blue surface of her eyes. “I couldn’t let that creep keep hurting them.”

Raph’s gaze shifted between Cat and Star. The girl reminded him of his wife. He chuckled softly. “I’m sure you couldn’t.” When the three looked at him in slight puzzlement, his chuckle increased. He shot his son a bemused look. “You’re gonna have your hands full, son.”

Cat snorted, finally catching on, but she smiled nonetheless. “Oh, you know you like my spirit, tough guy.”

He shifted slightly to bury his face into her midsection, a smirk spreading across his lips. “Yep, you know it, Darlin’.” He sighed, starting to relax again. But then a thought struck him and he started to push himself up.

Concern washed over Cat’s face. “You shouldn’t be getting up yet.”

She was right, he’d barely gotten himself to his elbows and he felt exhausted all over again, but he had to know. “Who did Shinta get to help?”

“Us.” Young Raph had been watching them for some time and now he moved closer so the older turtle could see him. He could feel the love radiating off the small group as they’d interacted and it had made butterflies flutter in his stomach. If what the older Donatello had said was right – and he usually was, all of this could be lost when they returned home. He met the older turtle’s gaze and they held it for a long time.

“How?” Raph gruffed out.

“Shinta used Don’s portal. But it brought him to us instead of wherever he was trying to go.” Young Raph explained.

The older Raph merely gave a small nod, settling back into Cat’s lap and clutching the arm she draped around him. “Donnie’s portals never did work worth a damn.” He closed his eyes again, only to crack open one to look at his younger self. “But thanks anyway.”

Not long after, Mikey stirred from his healing sleep as well. He groaned softly. Everything hurt – an ache set deep in his bones. He cracked open his eyes to find Kala leaning over him. She smiled despite the tears rolling down her cheeks. “Mikey! Oh, thank goodness!”

He frowned at her, trying to lift his hand. But it was numb and heavy, so he was only able to get it up high enough to touch her arm. “Why are you crying, Babe?” She half draped herself across him, kissing him warmly. Her orange-yellow hair brushed his face as hot tears fell across it. He could feel the thundering of her heart through his plastron. Concern filled his voice “…Kala?”

“You almost died.” She wept, pressing her face into his neck. “Again.” She trembled. “Kaz too.”

He rubbed gentle circles on her back. “Kaz?” Memories suddenly flooded him. The battle, Kaz buried beneath the Foot soldiers, smoke, pain, unconsciousness. He tried to sit up, but even her slight weight on him was too much. His voice rose in a slight panic. “Kazzey!”

His son appeared in his line of sight, looking haggard and beaten but very much alive. “I’m right here, Dad.” Kaz squeezed his shoulder with a small smile. “I’m glad you’re awake.”

Mikey’s breath gushed out of him in relief. “What happened? Are you okay?”

Kaz gave a small nod. “Yeah, we all are thanks to our, um, guests.”

Mikey continued to stroke Kala’s back soothingly. “Guests?”

“Uh, he means us, dude.” The young Michelangelo stepped up behind Kaz, frowning slightly. “You guys got to be more careful.”

Mikey blinked once, twice. “You’re…”

“Yeah, I’m you.” The younger turtle responded.

“Shinta brought them through the portal.” Ona explained, clinging to Kaz, who was using her half for support. “It was lucky too. They gave you all an antidote to the anti-mutagen.”

Mikey groaned, lifting one hand to press it to his forehead. “Ugh, anti-mutagen? That’s why I feel so bad. I thought it felt familiar.”

Kala sat back looking at him with desperation. “But you’re feeling better, right?”

The older Mikey met his younger self’s gaze before returning it to his wife. “Yeah, I’m pretty weak, but yeah I’m feeling better. At least I don’t feel as bad as last time.”

Kala attempted a weak smile, her anxiety lessening ever so slightly. “I’m glad. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She stroked his cheek with one hand while resting the other on his chest. “I love you.”

Mikey smiled. “I love you too, Babe.” She embraced him again and young Mikey grinned behind her. The older Mikey sighed, his arms wrapping around her as tight as they could. He closed his eyes against the grinning younger turtle. He didn’t realize how close they would come to losing Kala. How much pain and suffering she would endure before she would return to him. It made a part of him angry, but then a thought occurs to him. If his younger self is here, then maybe he can change things. But the others would probably be against the idea. He’d have to get him alone.

Jamie watched as Raph and Mikey stirred, while Donnie leaned against the chair where his empty blood bag still hung. He was nearly back to normal, his color had returned and the black splotches that had covered his body were nearly gone. And yet, Leo did not move. His breathing was even and his coloring was better, but he was laying deathly still. Fear pulsed through her as her gaze flickered between the brothers and her love. “Why isn’t he waking up?”

Sarah shifted at the unease in Jamie’s voice. She glanced at Donnie and he frowned. “I don’t know.” He answered honestly. “He should be recovering at the same rate as the others.”

“He did take a blow to the head.” Kaz provides from not far off. “I saw Kyoudai kick him right before he blacked out.”

Donnie frowned, moving now to kneel beside his brother. He picked up his hand, checking his pulse. “I need a light. He could have a concussion.”

Young Leo hurried across the room to the first aid kit, where he’d seen a penlight. He returned quickly handing it to Don. Donnie leaned over the older Leo, prying open an eye. “Leo? Can you hear me?”

Leo groaned, clenching his eye shut again and swatting lamely at his brother’s hands. “Mm, what’re you doin’ Don?” His voice was muffled in sluggish sleep.

Donnie let out a sigh of relief. _He’s okay._ “I don’t think he has a concussion but he did take a good blow to the head. It just might take a little longer for him to come to.”

Beside him, Jamie pressed a hand to her mouth as her eyes sparkled with tears. “Oh, Leo…” She leaned forward kissing the uninjured side of his face. The other still bore a black and blue bruise that covered most of it. She rested her cheek against his. “I was worried.”

Leo was still a bit disoriented and half in dreams. He shifted slightly trying to pull her closer. “Jamie.” He mumbled softly, rolling onto his side as if they were sleeping in their bed.

Shinta sniffled, wiping vigorously at his eyes. He couldn’t show weakness now. But the relief was so great that it just wouldn’t stay inside. “How do you feel, Father?”

The sound of Shinta’s voice, broke Leo from the haziness in his mind. His heart clenched and his eyes snapped open. He tried to sit up way too fast and found his body did not want to cooperate. Jamie leaned back as he reached for his son. “Shinta!” He hugged him tightly. “I was afraid I might have hurt you. Are you alright?”

Shinta returned the embrace just as tightly. “I’m okay. It was a rough landing but I’m fine.” He leaned away to smile at his father and Leo’s gaze roved his body in search of injuries. Shinta huffed a small annoyed sound. “Father…”

Leo’s eyes never left him. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

Shinta rolled his eyes but smiled. “Yes.”

Leo laid back, his body betraying him. “What happened?”

“I got away. Thanks to you. And I went for help.” Shinta gestured for the younger Leo to step around so he could be seen. Leo’s eyes widened in understanding and Shinta hurried to explain. “I was trying to get Napoleon, but it sent me to the past instead. I’m sorry, it was all I could think of.” He looked away shamefully. His father’s hand tightened on his arm with surprising strength and he lifted his eyes again.

“You did well, Shinta. Never think otherwise. You did what you had to do to save our family, our clan. I’m very proud of you.”

Shinta beamed, eyes shimmering. “Thank you, Father.” Then he frowned. “There is one more thing I need to tell you though.” He took a deep breath steadying his nerves. “Kyoudai is possessed by a very powerful demon. I’ve never seen one so strong before. I think it could be the one we’re looking for.” He licked his dry lips nervously. “The one that killed my mother.”

Leo had broken into a cold sweat that had nothing to do with the lingering effects of the anti-mutagen. His grip tightened painfully on Shinta’s arm. “You’re sure?” Shinta gave a small shaky nod. Leo’s gaze shot from his son to the young turtle standing behind him. “I need to talk to you. Alone.”

Donnie frowned. “Leo, I really don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

“Don’t worry, Don. I’m not going to say any more than what he likely already knows.” He glanced around. “Which is quite possibly a lot.”

“Leo, please don’t.” Jamie pleaded softly.

He lowered his gaze to hers and reached out a trembling hand to cup her cheek. “I have to.”

Tears broke free. “You’re still weak. You need to rest. Please.”

“I will.” He promised softly. “But first I need to talk to him.” He didn’t wait for a response as he tried to get up.

Shinta gasped softly, grabbing his shoulder as his father swayed on his knees. “Father, please. Listen to reason.”

But the younger Leo was already moving to pull the older one to his feet. Leo locked his gaze with his son’s for a moment. “Stay here, Shinta.”

Shinta wanted to protest but found the words lost in his throat. The older turtle leaned heavily on the younger one, his legs felt like he was walking through waist high mud as they moved. He gestured to the door leading into the hall and young Leo complied. The living room beyond was quiet and empty. He eased the older Leo onto the couch and then waited quietly.

The silence between them dragged out for some time before the older turtle spoke. “I need you to stay for a little while longer.”

The younger Leo nodded. He understood his older self was scared out of his mind. He’d practiced that calm distant expression in the mirror too often not to see the wall crack just a bit. No one else in the universe could have seen it except him. But they were the same and there was no denying the underlying fear and worry present. “Of course.” Besides the fact that an evil demon was hunting their son, their family was extremely vulnerable at the moment. With all the males still weak, an attack would mean the end of them.

The older Leo sighed. “What do you know?”

“I know about Shinta’s mother and the demon that’s hunting him.” The older turtle didn’t even bother to hide the pain and anguish that crossed his face this time. And it made the young one’s heart lurch and twinge to see there was so much heartache in his future. It made him wish he could stop it from happening. _Don was right. If we return with the knowledge we have, it could change everything_. The thought was followed by another treacherous one. _But maybe that would be for the best._

“I need…your help.”

The younger turtle knew the amount of humiliation the older one felt with those words. He hated asking for help. He’d rather suffer a painful death. But this wasn’t about _him_ , it was about _them._ Their clan was in danger. And he knew the older turtle would do anything, including this humiliating request for help, just to protect them. “We’ll stay as long as we’re needed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the great kudos guys! Now hold on. Things are about to get a little wild!


	11. To Fall from Pizza

Mira pinched between her eyes, a habit picked up from her father. They’d dissected the tech and found it simple enough. Between Lanius’ device and their own ingenuity, they’d managed to create a machine that would serve to erase only a small portion of the younger team of brother’s memories. By selecting the correct pathways created most recently within the brain, they could isolate their short term memory, just as Lanius had done Star. However, the shock to their systems would likely knock them out for an hour or so afterwards.

K-three touched her hand and she opened her eyes to smile at him. His was bigger. “You did it, my flower. You’ve saved us all.”

She shook her head slightly. “I couldn’t have done it without you.” She raised her eyes to the young Donatello smiling at her from the computer console. “Without either of you.”

It was Donnie’s turn to shake his head. “No, you did most of this on your own. I barely did anything. I must say, you are completely brilliant, Mira. Your mind works on a whole other level than mine. You seem to see things as three dimensional, while I’m still consumed with the facts and figures.”

She chuckled, her smile tired but bright. “Everything I know, I learned from my father.”

Young Don blushed, then cleared his throat. “I should probably let everyone know. I need to check on the others anyways.”

He left and K-three nodded at the bundle curled up on the cot across the room. “I should put him to bed.”

Mira nodded. “Hurry back.”

He smiled and kissed her gently. “I will.” He grunted softly as he lifted Katsu. His ribs still hurt and the action didn’t help them any. But he was not about to let his mate carry their son right now. She was exhausted. They’d been at this all night. She shot him a concerned look at the jolt of pain he felt, but he shook it off. “I’m fine. Just a bit stiff.” The look in her eyes told him, she was not falling for that. So, he quickly left to avoid the oncoming argument.

Mira sighed, her head lulling back. She’d been up since she’d woken with an IV in her arm and the desire to sleep was too much. Her eyes slid closed and before she knew it she was snoozing in her father’s familiar rolling chair. K-three found her there a few minutes later. But after carrying his much smaller son to bed, his body ached too bad to consider carrying his wife. Instead, he pulled the cot close and eased her onto it. Then crawled in beside her, tucking her neatly into his arms. “Sleep, my sweet flower, you’ve earned it.”

Downstairs, Donnie entered the dojo to find everyone awake and sitting up. The older set of brothers were even starting to move around. Several of the family were already seated at the large wooden table. He smiled as he found the older Don and Leo there. “It seems the anti-mutagen has been eliminated from your systems.”

Leo looked up from his cup of tea. “Yes, thank you, uh, Donnie.” Jamie sat beside him, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“I should thank you as well.” The older Don said, a steaming cup of coffee in hand. He looked like he had never even been poisoned.

Sarah appeared, looking rather chipper even as she set a large tray of biscuits and sausage on the table. She smiled at the younger turtle. “Yes, we should all thank you.”

He took a step in her direction and a low warning growl rose from the older Don. He took one of his mate’s wrists and pulled her down into his lap. She blinked at him. “Donnie!” She scolded softly.

Mikey hobbled over to the table and pulled out a chair, Kala and Kaz mere steps behind him. “Yeah, bro, you know that’s you, right?”

Don frowned. “I know, but it just makes me uncomfortable. I don’t know why exactly.”

Sarah studied her spouse for a moment, examining the nuances of the bond. “I do. It’s like when we first met Marina. She made me uncomfortable.”

He gave a slow nod. “Yeah, it’s a lot like that.”

Mikey stuffed a biscuit in his mouth and mumbled around it. “Dude, you remember that? Seriously? That was like a really long time ago.”

Don’s eyes drifted back to Sarah. “Yeah, I remember it like it was yesterday.” He lifted her small hand to kiss her knuckles and she smiled at him.

“Who’s Marina?” The young Don moved to sit in an empty chair and Sarah smiled at him again, which made him relax.

“She’s my half-sister.”

The table was starting to fill with the others, taking up every seat. “You got a sister, dudette?” The young Mikey pipped up as he grabbed a waffle from a platter that had already been set on the table.

“A half-sister.” Sarah corrected. She felt like Cat, Kala and Jamie were more her sisters than Marina most of the time. “But she doesn’t live around here.”

Mikey snorted. “It’s a good thing Shinta didn’t think of calling her for help. We’d have an entire armada of spaceships circling the planet.”

Leo shook his head. “I don’t think Marina and Stin would overreact like that, Mikey.”

“Sure they would.” Mikey swallowed. “Donnie is their emperor and stuff, right?”

They younger set of brothers exchanged looks, while Donnie groaned. “Mikey, we’ve been over this a thousand times. I am not their emperor, Stin is.”

“Yeah, but only because you let him be. You’re the one that kicked that creep Zenfered’s butt!”

Sarah frowned her hand raising to trace the scar on her mate’s neck. It was the only scar either had received since they’d begun mirroring wounds. She wore a matching one on her own neck. She shuddered at the memory and Don pulled her closer. He glared at his brother. “Mikey, drop it.”

Mikey just shrugged and went back to stuffing his face. Yoshi looked up and around at the group. “Where’s K-three and Mira? I haven’t seen them since I woke up this morning.”

“They’re okay. They’re upstairs. We were working in the lab all night.” The young Don replied.

“They’re sleeping.” Sarah said softly. She’d felt Mira fall asleep a while ago and then nothing, so she assumed K-three was now with her, blocking their connection.

Young Raph’s brow bunched in confusion. “How do you know?”

“Because I can feel her.” Sarah responded flatly before grabbing a biscuit and presenting it to Donnie. “Eat something, love.” He reached for his coffee and she shoved it away with a little smirk. “I mean something besides your coffee.”

Don rolled his eyes, but a smile pulled at his mouth before he took the offered food. Raph huffed. “I still don’t see how you can drink that shit.” He stood. “I’m gettin’ some orange juice.”

Cat frowned. “I can get it.” She was still worried about how weak he was.

He smiled down at her, touching her cheek with the back of his hand. “I got it, Darlin’.”

The younger Raph watched him walk off and after a few minutes followed him into the kitchen. Ona had just finished preparing a large heaping pile of eggs and carried them out as he entered. The two Raphs were now alone. The younger one glanced over his shoulder to where Cat was sitting at the long table. “So, your Donnie said somethin’ about Cat havin’ a brother?”

Raph finished his rummage through the refrigerator, pulling out the giant jug of orange juice. “Yeah, he was killed by some purple dragons about a year before we met.” He pulled out a cup and poured some in. “He was her only family.”

The younger turtle nodded, folding his arms. “He also said something about Kala and some guy named Kassic.”

The name elicited a snarl from Raph and he gripped the side of the stainless steel island, his fingers leaving impressions in the metal surface. When he lifted his head to look at his younger self, there was hatred in his eyes. “Now you listen to me. I don’t care how much this screws up history or not. But if you see that bastard, you kill ‘im. No if, ands, or buts, he dies. You understand?”

The younger Raph frowned. “Why?”

“He nearly killed Cat. Not to mention what he did to poor Kala. Believe me, I should’ve gutted him the first time I laid eyes on him.”

The younger Raph nodded. He didn’t wait for his older self to compose himself before returning to the others. But as he stepped out of the kitchen he heard his brother say something that stopped him cold. “We were able to construct a device to remove our short term memories, so there won’t be any contamination to the time line.” Donnie scooped some eggs onto his plate and pushed them around a bit.

The older Don nodded. “Good. We can’t have you returning with detailed knowledge of the future.” Leo dropped his head a little, gazing into his cup. Don frowned putting a hand on his shoulder. “Leo…”

His brother let out a heavy sigh. “I know. It’s for the best.” His gaze shifted to Jamie and he squeezed her hand. “Every event has a purpose, no matter the pain we suffer during it.”

Mikey frowned, reconsidering his own thoughts from earlier. Their lives were like a chain, each event leading to the next. _Without Kassic, Kala may never have come to me. We may never have gotten together. And we wouldn’t have Kaz and he wouldn’t have rescued Ona. They would have never married and…_

Kala’s warm hand touched his arm and he looked down into her concerned blue eyes. “You okay, Mikey?” She was wondering if he was still feeling alright or not.

“Yeah.” He slipped his arm around her, pulling her close. “Just thinking how lucky I am.”

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

By the time evening fell, everyone was feeling better. The effects from the anti-mutagen completely gone. The only things that still remained were the wounds Yoshi, Kaz, and K-three still carried. As well as a general tiredness in the entire group. The wound on Star’s neck was nearly healed as well, but she sported a small white bandage over it, which Yoshi had insisted on. Leo had been gracious to the teen, after all she’d saved three of his family, but it didn’t stop his small interrogation. To Yoshi’s relief, after only a handful of questions, Leo had thanked her and let her be. He could tell she was still a bit uncomfortable being around the very large family. She stayed close to him most of the day. Only when Shinta had started to tease her about them being attached at the hips, had she finally relaxed. He understood, it was all unfamiliar territory to her. But strangely enough, she was taking it quite well. She didn’t flinch away from his father and uncles or seem bothered when Katsu had attached himself to her leg asking if she was his girlfriend. She’d smiled and patted his small head, all the while blushing at the innocent question.

“So, you’re telling me that this device that was attached to Star, were also on the Foot?” Leo asked K-three.

The Turtleoid nodded. “I’m betting he has them implanted on all the Foot too. They could be just like Star, and not have a clue what they’re doing.”

Leo turned to his younger self and Shinta. “How many Foot were there?”

“I counted two dozen.” Young Leo replied.

But K-three shook his head. “We can’t count on their ranks still being thin. These devices are easy enough to make. He could have already made a hundred since last night.”

Leo frowned, his gaze shooting to his brother. “Donnie, if these things are transmitting a signal, is there a way to block it?”

Donnie frowned as well. “It’s got several redundant receivers. We’d have to figure out each frequency and block them individually. Which will take time, in which Lanius could possibly reroute and transmit on a different frequency.”

“Which means?” Mikey asked.

“Which means, the only way to permanently shut down the signal would be to destroy the source.” Young Don explained.

K-three huffed. “And who knows, that might not even stop them from coming. They aren’t computers, they’re people. Lanius could have some way of controlling them even if the signal is intercepted.” Leo glanced towards Star, who was leaning against a wall not far away. But K-three shook his head again. “I don’t think she’s a threat. He wasn’t controlling her at the time we escaped. I don’t think he was able to implant any kind of subliminal message in her.”

Leo gave a small nod. “Agreed, but I still think it’s best to keep her as far away from that crazy doctor as possible.”

“You got no argument here.” Yoshi rumbled nearby.

The doorbell rang and young Mikey sprang out of his chair. “That must be the pizzas! I’ll get it!” He’d do anything to get out of the strategy planning session at the moment. He started off through the kitchen towards the front door.

“Hey, wait.” He turned to find Shinta hurrying after him. “You can’t answer the door like that. We live here, remember? Everyone thinks we’re a normal human family.”

Mikey just waved a hand. “It’s cool. I’ll just tell them it’s a costume party.”

“I have an easier solution.” Shinta held up a holo-box.

Mikey frowned. “What is it?”

Shinta slipped it on his belt and hit the button. His image changed from a teenage turtle to a teenage human. “A holo-projector. It’s how we move on the surface without anyone knowing we’re turtles.”

Mikey’s eyes lit up. “Cool! Donnie’d kill to get his hands on one of these.”

Shinta chuckled. “He built these.” The doorbell rang again and Shinta turned off the box and hooked it to Mikey’s belt. “Just press the button to turn it on and off.” He shoved a wad of bills into his hand and then disappeared back into the dining area.

Mikey pressed the button and hurried to answer the door. “Sorry, dude.” He told the delivery boy, who was holding a towering stack of pizzas. “How much is it?”

The teen grunted, struggling to hold the lot. “Seventy-five, man.”

Mikey blinked at him like he was nuts for a minute and then looked down at the wad of bills. Slowly, he started to count out the twenties he’d been handed. He stared in shock at the dollars. How did they have this much money? He was holding nearly two hundred bucks in his hand. He’d never in his life held that much money that actually belonged to them.

“Excuse me.” The boy grunted again. “But could you take these.”

Someone suddenly appeared beside Mikey and he nearly dropped the money. “I got ‘em.” The large young man scooped up the lot like it weighed nothing.

Mikey blinked at the young human male beside him, but the delivery boy stuck his hand out impatiently. “Uh, yeah, sorry.” He passed him several bills which included a good tip for his efforts. “Thanks.” The boy just nodded and left. Mikey shut the door and turned to see Yoshi walking off with the pizzas. He grinned. _These holo-projectors rock!_ He hurried after him, catching up with him in the kitchen. “Hey, do you mind if I ask you, how do you guys have this much money?”

Yoshi settled the pizza tower on the metal island. He smiled tolerantly. “My mom’s motorcycle shop and Jamie’s music shop. We all pitch in and they make plenty of money for us.”

Mikey’s eyes widened. “You mean you have real jobs? Like out in public and stuff?”

“Well, sort of.” Yoshi patted the holo-box on his belt. “These things let us move around without bein’ found out. But we still do things like you guys do. We still get a lot of our stuff from junkyards and dumps. It’s crazy how much useable stuff people throw away.”

Mikey lifted an eye-ridge. “Really, even with all this money.” He offered the change back to Yoshi, who took it.

“Yeah, most of our furniture is ‘used’. All except Katsu’s. Uncle Don sorta insisted on new stuff for him.” He sighed, looking down. “It’s understandable, considerin’ all our stuff was lost when they blew up the lair.”

“Blew up the lair?”

Yoshi still didn’t meet young Mikey’s round eyes. “It’s a long story.” He opened one of the boxes and pulled two slices out and onto a plate which he passed to Mikey. “Better get what you want. Delivery pizza don’t last long around here.”

Mikey was properly distracted by the steaming cheesy slice in front of him. “Why?”

“We don’t usually get it. There’s no point when we have Aunt Sarah and, uh, you to cook as many as we want for a whole lot less.” Yoshi smiled a bit as he watched the younger version of his uncle devour the two slices in four bites. “Especially in a house that is full of appetites like yours.”

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

The delivery boy stuffed the money into his pocket and walked up the block to the corner. The street was quiet and mostly deserted. He suddenly stopped and pulled out his cell, turning to keep the old hotel in his peripheral. His eyes flashed black as the line was answered. “I’ve found them.”


	12. Whose Trap

“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Leo eyed the teenage version of himself.

“Yes.” He nodded firmly. “You’re all still weak from what happened and we need to eliminate the threat. We will go and take out the computer controlling the Foot. That will at least buy you some time to recover.”

Shinta frowned. “Do you need me to show you where the warehouse is again?”

Young Leo shook his head. “No, I remember.”

“I’m still not comfortable with this idea. We don’t know how many Foot he may have recruited in the last day.” Leo folded his arms. He didn’t like sending their younger selves into battle without some idea of what they were up against.

Young Raph slapped a hand on the table. “We need to attack before he’s able to rebuild his forces.” Beside him the older Raph nodded in agreement.

“It’s risky.” Leo still protested. “If something happens to you four…”

Young Raph groaned, looking up at his older self. “Your Leo is just as stubborn as mine.”

“Nope.” Raph quipped. “Mine’s a lot worse. He’s old, crotchety, and set in his ways.”

Mikey and Kaz snickered, while Donnie rolled his eyes. Leo glared. “Can it, Raphael. My point still stands. Besides you’re one to talk about being grumpy.”

Young Leo rubbed his chin in thought. “Maybe we don’t have to engage anyone. We can set some explosives on the outside of the building, near where the large console was. We could simply blow it up from a distance.”

Donnie nodded. “It would have to be a surgical strike. We need to keep the body count down.”

“Yeah, those dudes may look like Foot, but they’re really innocent guys being brain-washed.” Mikey reminded them.

The two Donatellos exchanged a look, before the younger one spoke. “We can make it surgical, no problem.”

“What about that doctor dude?” Young Mikey asked between bites of pizza. “He’ll probably be standing next to it.”

Kaz growled, his fist balling on the table. “He deserves whatever he gets. The world would be better off without him.”

Young Mikey stared wide-eyed at the amount of anger that passed his future son’s features. “But Donnie just said-“

Kaz stood suddenly, his chair scrapping a bit on the floor. Fury flared behind his blue eyes. “He _ain’t_ innocent.”

“Kazzey…” Mikey put a hand on his arm. He knew the hatred he felt for Lanius. He’d felt the same towards Kassic. Kaz pulled away and stomped off. Mikey sighed and glanced at Ona, who was chatting with Star.

She frowned as she watched her spouse leave the dojo. “Kazzey, wait.” She hurried after him out the door.

Young Raph blinked in confusion. “What was that?”

Mikey sighed. “They have history.”

“He’s got a right to want that slime-ball dead after what he did to Ona.” Yoshi half snarled. “And what he tried to do to Star.”

Don sighed, pushing back from the table. “I’ll go get the equipment you’ll need.” As he passed Mikey, he squeezed his shoulder. “I’ll check on him, Mike.”

Mikey nodded. “Thanks, bro.”

K-three shot his father-in-law a look. “Could you let Mira know the foods here while you’re up there?”

Don gave a small nod and headed upstairs where he paused on the second floor to check on Kaz. But his nephew was already surrounded by his mother and wife. Kala stroked his arm and Ona whispered softly in his ear while squeezing his other arm. Don sighed. He knew how Kaz felt. Even he had experienced that burning hatred over his time. It was only due to Sarah’s soft soothing and constant reminder that she was safe that he had slowly released it. But Kaz was still young and that desire for revenge still raged through him. But Don knew the only person that could smoother that flame was his wife. And Ona had done a swell job of that so far.

He leaned in the doorway. “You okay, Kaz?”

Kaz’s hands balled and un-balled. His voice was heavy when he spoke. “Yeah.” He pulled Ona against him, clenching his eyes shut and breathing deeply. When he opened them again they were a deep cool blue. “I just wish I’d killed that bastard to begin with, then none of this would be happening.”

Don didn’t bother to ask if he meant Kyoudai or Lanius, instead he sighed. “We all have things we wish we could changes.” His mind filled with an image of first Zenfered and then Eznic. He growled softly. “And people we wished we’d killed sooner. But what’s happened has happened and hatred can be a self-destructing force. Right now we need to focus on keeping our family safe. Revenge will simply have to wait.”

Kaz gave a small nod, closing his eyes again. Donatello turned and headed up the stairwell again. He paused beside his bedroom door, where Sarah and Mira were sitting on their bed with Katsu sprawled out asleep between them. His wife frowned at him and he knew she was trying to analyze the emotions tumbling around inside him. “It’s okay, Kaz just had a breakdown. He’s still mad at Lanius.”

Mira frowned. “He should be! The guy nearly killed him!”

Sarah held Donnie’s gaze as she rose and crossed the room to him. “He’s not angry about what Lanius did to him, Mira. He’s angry about what Lanius did to Ona.”

He gazed down at her taking one of her small hands in his. “I know how he feels.”

She was unfazed by the tendrils of anger that still clung to his heart. “We’ve been over this.”

“I know.” He kissed her brow. “But it doesn’t get rid of the guilt.” He attempted a weak smile as he turned his gaze back to Mira. “There’s pizza downstairs, if you’re hungry.”

Mira gave a small nod. “Let me put Katsu to bed first. He’s worn out.”

Sarah gave a small chuckle. “He should be. He’s been running circles up here the past two hours.”

Donnie chuckled as well. “On that note, I’ve got some things to get from the lab.”

Sarah squeezed his hand. “Would you like some help?”

He smiled at her, giving a small nod. He didn’t really need it, but he knew she needed to be close to him right now, so he accepted the offer. She followed him into the lab where he began to gather all the things his younger self would need to make a precision blast. After gathering the detonator and controller for the remote discharge, he unlocked the box that held the small amount of plastic explosive he’d managed to horde in the past year. He handed the controller and detonator to his wife and pulled out the small lump of C4. He didn’t like to keep much of the stuff at home, so although he had more it was stashed in a safe place in the sewers. A small amount would be all that was needed for this attack. He felt Sarah’s worry ripple through him, but only momentarily. She knew about the C4, it wasn’t like he was able to hide it from her. He gave her a small momentary smile. “You know it’s not dangerous in this form.”

“Of course, but it doesn’t make me any less nervous.”

He chuckled softly. “Well, they’ll be getting rid of it for us. That will make you feel better, right?”

She frowned, shaking her head. “Not really.” She took a deep breath. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but that is you and your brothers down there. And if anything were to happen to them…”

He sighed. “Listen, we might have been a little more reckless at that age, but I still knew how to handle this stuff.”

Sarah acquiesced but that didn’t completely erase her worry. She finally gave him a small smirk. “You were also pretty cute at that age.”

He grinned. “Oh, yeah?”

Her smirk grew as she leaned up to peck his cheek. “Yeah, it’s too bad I missed out on it.”

 He gave small chuckle before following her out of the lab. He paused as he reached the door, his gaze falling on an object covered in dust. _Maybe that could buy us some time as well._ He picked up the toaster-sized machine and followed his wife downstairs.

The younger set of brothers were already geared up by the time they returned to the dojo. Don set the machine on the table and turned to the younger Don. “Here. You know what do with it.” The younger turtle nodded.

Sarah handed him the controller and detonator as well. He smiled at her. “Thanks.”

Her jaw trembled just a bit. “Please, be careful.” She stepped quickly back to the older Don, wrapping her arms around him and clenching her eyes closed against the fear. His arm automatically went around her. The two turtles exchanged a solemn look.

“We will.” Young Leo promised. “Come on guys. The faster we get this over the sooner we can get home.”

“Yeah, Master Splinter is probably way worried by now.” Young Mikey agreed as the four trotted out the back door.

Their father’s name caused an ache in Leo’s heart. He looked down at Shinta. His son had told him of his encounter with Splinter on the other side of the portal and that he’d given him the tools to destroy the demon. It was probably the only reason he’d been able to sleep a few hours during the day. The knowledge of such powerful items in their possession had released a great deal of the burden he’d been under. _Leave it to Father to save us, even after his death._

“Hey, who ate all the pizza?” Mira appeared in the doorway of the kitchen.

Everyone turned to look at her. Raph snorted. “Ask the two bottomless pits. Well, three, if you count the one that just left.” He jabbed a thumb at the back door.

“No way.” Mikey protested. “We made sure to leave you enough.”

Mira put her hands on her hips and K-three stifled a snicker at what he knew was coming. “You call two slices enough?”

“There was at least a half a pizza in there.” Mikey protested again.

“Maybe there was but I saw,” Yoshi paused trying to think of the right words, “the other Mikey go in there a little while ago.”

Mira rolled her eyes and Sarah couldn’t suppress the little chuckle. She released Donnie to go to her daughter. “Come on, sweetie. I’ll make you anything you want.” The two quickly disappeared off into the kitchen.

“So, what’s with this thing?” Shinta pointed at the machine on the table.

“It’s a scrambler or at least it used to be.” Don flipped open the top, causing a small dust storm.

Leo’s interest was piqued. “A scrambler?” He and Jamie moved closer to see.

“Well, it was before the lair got destroyed.” Don sighed. “I salvaged it, but I haven’t had time to see if it was damaged or not.” He took a moment to examine the innards of the box as everyone else moved closer as well. He finally gave a small nod. “It looks mostly intact. I can have it up and running in a few minutes.”

“The question is, will it scramble those Foot or not?” Raph asked.

Don frowned. “That I’m not so sure of. I’m certain it will give us a bit of an advantage, but for how long I don’t know. Lanius’ transmitters could eventually work their way around this thing. It is kind of old. I made it back before we met Ona. Plus, it’s range is small.”

Leo frowned. “Define small.”

“We’re looking at a diameter of six hundred feet max. That’s less than a block.”

Leo’s frown intensified. “That won’t give us much warning. Can you widen its range?”

Don examined the device again, though it was clear there were dozens of calculations being made inside his head. “I can by increasing the power flow. But you have to know, I didn’t build this thing with that in mind. It’ll likely burn out within a few minutes.”

“It might be long enough though.” Leo patted his brother’s shoulder. “Good thinking, Don.”

The genius pulled out a few tools from his belt. “It should only take a few minutes.”

Suddenly an alarm went off. Leo rushed to a panel on the wall, swiping at the touch screen to locate the source. A three-dimensional diagram of the new home floated by as he located the disturbance. He frowned and shut off the alarm. “It’s on the roof. One of the sensors was tripped.”

“Just one?” Mikey asked. The roof was covered in at least a dozen sensors that had to be shut off within seconds by the person entering the roof door, otherwise the alarm sounded.

Raph flopped into a chair. “Probably just another pigeon.”

“Still somebody should check it out, just to be sure.” K-three pointed out.

“I’ll go.” Shinta moved from the far side of the table while everyone stared at him. He was still in the best condition compared to the rest of his family. He’d rather they rested.

Leonardo blinked at him like he was crazy. “What! No way! You-“

“Uncle Raph just said it’s probably just some pigeons. They have been trying to get in the greenhouse.” Shinta said calmly.

Raph made a face of disgust. “Things are like damned cockroaches with wings.”

Leo shot his brother a quick look. “It might be, but you don’t need to be going anywhere without us.”

Shinta cocked his head to the side, a small smirk growing. “Wasn’t I the one that saved your shells last night.”

Mikey chuckled. “He’s got you there, Leo.”

Leo shot him a dirty look before dragging a hand down his face. “Fine, just take your weapons. And come _right_ back.”

Shinta just shook his head as he claimed his katana from the weapons rack. He shot his father a quick smile as he passed him. “Okay, I promise to come right back.”

As soon as he’d left the room, Leo shot Raph another look. The hothead huffed. “Yoshi, go with ‘im.”

Yoshi’d already taken down his spare set of tekko-kagi and tucked them in his belt. Star watched him with a touch of worry. He grinned at her. “Don’t worry, there ain’t a pigeon in New York that can take me on.” She released something between a snort and snicker.

Cat put an arm around Star’s shoulders. “Don’t worry about us either. I think I smell cookies.”

Yoshi chuckled as he headed out the door. “If they’re chocolate chip, save me some!”

The trip up the stairs put a strain on his injured leg, but he didn’t mind. He caught with his cousin on the first landing where Kaz was talking to him. He frowned at the older turtle. Ona was still hovering behind him a few paces. “How you doin’, bro?”

Kaz folded his arms, a distant look in his eyes. “Fine. They gone already?”

“Yeah.”

“Why was the alarm going off?” Kaz looked between the two with concern.

“It’s just one of the sensors on the roof.” Shinta explained. “I’m going to check it out.”

Kaz’s blue eyes darted to Yoshi. “I’m goin’ with ‘im.” Yoshi quickly assured him.

Shinta groaned. “Really?”

“Yep, really. Now, let’s get this over with. I ain’t missin’ out on Aunt Sarah’s cookies, because we’re up here chasin’ birds.” He gave the younger turtle a playful nudge forward and Shinta let out yet another groan before heading up the stairs again. Yoshi glanced at Kaz as he started up after him. “I got this.”

Shinta frowned. After all he’d done to prove himself in the past few days, now he was being babysat again. It was enough to grate on his nerves. _It’s just a stupid pigeon!_ But as they crossed the fifth floor to the shorter steps that led to the roof, that thought felt less and less accurate. He stopped just inside the roof’s door. His body was tingling, his skin crawling. Something didn’t feel right. Instinctively, his hand went to the hilt of one of his katana.

“What are you doin’, kid?” He looked down to find Yoshi scowling at him. “You think the pigeons are gonna be packin’ or somethin’?”

Shinta faltered. He glanced from the door to his large cousin. “N-No, but…”

“If you go out there and slice up a bunch of ‘em, I ain’t cleanin’ up that mess.” When Shinta still did not move to open the door, Yoshi gave another huff and pushed past him to open it himself.

“Wait! Something doesn’t feel right, Yoshi.” Shinta started to reach for him. But he’d already opened it. As soon as Yoshi’s foot touched the roof, he cried out as he was flung clear across the roof to slam into the air conditioner. Shinta’s heart jumped as he saw him disappear from view. “Yoshi! No!” He flung open the door, pulling both katana at the same time. A fierce snarl ripped its way out of his throat as he took in the sight before him.

“I’ve been waiting on you, witch’s spawn.”


	13. Desperation

Shinta edged his way across the roof until he was between the demon possessed Kyoudai and the mostly unconscious Yoshi. He bared his teeth, hoping it might have some effect on his enemy. “Be gone, demon! You aren’t welcome here!”

Kyoudai laughed and Shinta watched the black aura swirl around him like a mini-tornado. “I’m going nowhere whelp.”

Shinta saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Along the roof’s ledge stood at least twenty Foot. They encircled the roof in a ring of silent doom. He could sense them move forward a few steps. Shinta flicked his eyes about but kept Kyoudai in his line of sight at all times. “Leave now!” He growled, taking a low defensive stance. “Or you will die!”

Kyoudai laughed again. “Stupid child, I could destroy you with a single thought.” His eyes never left Shinta’s and yet the Foot moved as if under a silent command.

That’s when Shinta understood what was truly happening. Kyoudai was controlling them with his thoughts. His heart raced as he took a discreet step back in Yoshi’s direction. He was way out numbered and he wouldn’t be able to protect Yoshi in an all-out fight. He had to stall for time. His father and the others would be missing them soon enough when he didn’t call back down with the all clear. “Are you such a coward that you can’t even fight a child on your own? Instead you use mindless pawns.”

Kyoudai snorted, his eyes narrowing. “You have no idea what I am capable of, runt. You are merely a pebble in my path. Something I plan to correct now.”

The Foot soldiers drew closer and Shinta backed to where he was standing over Yoshi. “Prove it! Face me alone!” Shinta lowered his guard ever so slightly in a mocking gesture. “Or are you afraid a runt like me will defeat you.”

Kyoudai growled while the Foot that were mere feet from Shinta began to retreat into the shadows.  The older ninja took a step in his direction. “Do not think I fear you.” He drew his katana and leveled it at Shinta, his eyes glowed red in the darkness. “I slew your mother. I can still remember the sound of her screams.” Shinta snarled as Kyoudai continued his slow approach. He sneered. “Yes, her death was particularly satisfying.”

“Shut up!” Shinta roared. His blue-gray eyes were bright with fury as he flew forward to meet Kyoudai, their swords clashing with such force that they left a spray of sparks in their wake. Shinta shoved him away and took a wide swing, aiming for his opponent’s neck. Kyoudai blocked it and ducked as the Shinta’s twin blade made for the same cut. Again their swords met with a clang. “Monster! You killed her for no reason!”

“I had a very good reason. She banished me from Oroku Saki. A vessel I had inhabited for decades.” His eyes glowed red as he swung down trying to slice Shinta’s arm off. The teen dodged the strike, but Kyoudai seemed unfazed by the action. “Now, his son will kill you. A fitting vengeance.”

Downstairs, Mira and Sarah carried in two large plates of cookies. The female turtle grinned as she picked up one and took a bite. “Now, nobody tell Katsu we had cookies, or I’ll be in trouble.”

The room rang in snickers and chuckles. Sarah laughed, rubbing warmly at Don’s shoulders. “You won’t be the only one.”

Mira’s expression suddenly turned from playful to frighten, her gaze shifting to the ceiling. K-three was out of his chair moving in her direction. “Mira?”

She didn’t respond at first the look in her eyes distant. When he reached for her, it snapped back to him. Without warning she turned and made a run for the door. “Yoshi! Shinta!” Within seconds the rest of the room was following her, dozens of feet pounding the stairs.

As they passed the first landing, Kaz and Ona joined them, noticing there was obviously something wrong. Mira reached the roof’s access door first and tugged on it. But it wouldn’t budge. “No! Open!”

“Move!” Raph shouted from a few steps down and everyone in his way had just enough time to press themselves against the wall as he barreled past them, smashing right through the door. Wooden shards flew across the rooftop. Leo was barely a footstep behind as he rushed out to stand shoulder to shoulder with his brother.

The sound of the door exploding, distracted Shinta only for a millisecond. But unfortunately that was long enough for Kyoudai to take the upper hand. He slipped behind Shinta’s guard, ripping his twin katana away, grabbing his mask tails and pressing his katana to the young turtle’s exposed throat. Shinta gasped in surprise, until now he’d been holding his own. Kyoudai glared at Leo. “Do not move.”

Leonardo trembled, fighting the urge to attack. When his voice came out it was a deadly cold tone. “Get your hands off my son.”

Raph had been searching the roof for his own son. He finally spotted him leaning unmoving against the large air conditioning unit. “Yoshi!” But the youth did not move at his name and it made Raph’s guts twist in worry.

Behind the pair Mikey, Don, K-three and Kaz slipped onto the roof. Star pushed her way to the front of the group of girls and her eyes widened as she spotted Yoshi. She started to bolt out the door, but Cat caught her. “No! I want to go to him too, but we can’t – not yet.” Her eyes flickered to the tense form her spouse.

Each heartbeat felt like an eternity as Kyoudai and the Hamatos faced off. The wind swirled around them violently, whipping their masks tails. Finally, Leo took a half-step forward, but immediately stopped as Shinta hissed, the blade digging into his neck. Kyoudai’s eyes narrowed. “I said do not move.”

Leo put up his hands. “Alright, just don’t hurt him. What do you want from us?”

“Your lives.” Kyoudai said coldly.

“I can’t do that.” Leo watched Shinta clench his eyes as the blade cut deeper. “But I can offer you my life in exchange for theirs.” There was a muffled cry from behind him and he didn’t dare to look back at the horrified Jamie, being restrained by both Sarah and Mira.

Shinta’s eyes popped open. “Father! No!”

“Leo…what are you doing?” Mikey croaked.

“Are you out of your mind!” Donnie sputtered.

“You can’t do that, Fearless!” Raph roared. His voice was joined with cries of protest from the rest of the group.

“Silence!” Leo commanded and the roof fell quiet. “This is my choice.” His eyes never left Kyoudai. “What do you say demon? You inhabited the Shredder, I know you want revenge. Revenge our father denied you with his death. I am head of this clan now and I am giving you a chance to claim it.”

“Father, please!” Shinta pleaded. There just had to be another way.

“Quiet whelp or I will cut out your tongue!” Kyoudai hissed. Shinta growled but could do nothing else. The sword was already slicing into the tender flesh of his neck. One flick of his enemy’s weapon and he would be headless.

“Kyoudai, you too want revenge, don’t you? It may have been my counterpart that ordered your mother’s death, but it was still me.” Leo could see he was getting through to the monster in front of him. Just a little more and he would have him. “Let Shinta go. He has nothing to do with this. I’m the one you really want.”

In the staircase, Jamie broke free and ran back into the hall below. She flung open Shinta’s door. There was only one way to get rid of this thing for good. It had to be destroyed. She grabbed the bag that held Shinta’s supplies, the bow and arrows, and the omamori. As fast as she could she darted back towards the roof.

Outside, Kyoudai and Leo held each other gaze. But Kyoudai wasn’t as easily baited as Leo hoped. With a snarl, he made a move to drive the blade into the teen’s throat. In the same moment Leo cried out, diving for them. Shinta shifted, using his shell as a shield and causing the sword to grind across the ridge. The tails of his mask were severed and the blow nicked the back of his head. His howl of pain was muffled by his father’s roar of anger.

Kyoudai stumbled back, barely able to get his blade high enough to block Leo’s. The turtle attacked with such fury that even with the demon’s strength and speed, Kyoudai was not able to block every blow. The two battled, completely unaware of the tsunami happening around them. As soon as Leo and Shinta had moved, it had been like a dam bursting.

Raph rushed forward, gathering his nephew and pulling him safely away from the battle. Shinta clutched at his head, gushing blood from the place the blade had removed a chunk of flesh. Raph passed him to Don and turned his attention to Yoshi, as the Foot soldiers around the roof began their attack. Mikey and Kaz had made a dash for Yoshi when Shinta had went down. They now stood over him, nunchakus and kusarigama twirling.

Donnie pulled Shinta into the doorway. “Take care of him!” He didn’t have enough time for anything further as he turned to join the fray. The Foot seemed determined to get inside and they had to prevent that at all costs.

Jamie was in tears as she knelt next to her stepson, dropping his things next to them. “Oh, Shinta!”

Kala suddenly appeared with the first aid kit and Sarah dove into it for bandages. “This is going to hurt.” She warned softly before dabbing the wound with disinfectant and pressing a bandage over it. Shinta tried desperately to suppress the whimper that left him. Even though the wound on his neck was deeper, it didn’t hurt as bad when she bandaged it.

As soon as she’d taped the last bandage down, he struggling to get up. “Father!”

Mira was standing in the door acting as backup for the small ring of males and to prevent the women from breaking onto the roof. “Let me through!” Star tried to get around her. “Yoshi!”

“No!” Mira blocked her forcibly. Cat met her gaze and Mira reassured her. “Uncle Mikey and Kaz are with him. They won’t let anything happen to him.”

Shinta was back on his feet. Spying his gear, he snatched up the bow and quiver. Then his eyes landed on the omamori. He shoved the it into Mira’s hands. She blinked at him blankly. “It will protect you. Demons can’t come near it.” Both Jamie and Sarah tried to stop him from returning to the battle, but he managed to pull away and push past Mira.

But Raph, Don, and K-three weren’t about to let the him get any further. “That thing might protect us from demons but these Foot ain’t demons, kid. They’re mindless puppets.” Raph pointed out as he punched another soldier in the head. They were trying to not to use lethal force on the innocent pawns.

“I don’t care! Let me through! I can destroy it!” Shinta growled.

“Not gonna happen, Shinta.” K-three informed him without looking back.

The teen let out a frustrated huff. _All I need is a clear shot._ He looked up at the roof above the access door and with one powerful push off the ground was on it. He wasted no time in pulling an arrow and nocking it into place. But he had to hold until there was an opening.

Across the roof, Kyoudai was still on his feet, though he was covered in cuts from head to toe. And Leo was not letting up. He intended to kill this thing, no matter what. His swords moved with lightning speed as he attempted one killing blow after another. Sweat dripped from the younger warrior. He stumbled back at one point and Shinta saw his opening. But just as he was loosing the arrow, a shuriken whizzed past his head, throwing off his aim just a hair. The arrow still struck its mark but not where it had been intended.

Kyoudai roared in pain as the arrow impelled him in the arm. The flesh around the wound sizzled and sputtered. The demon’s eyes glowed red as he yanked the offending object from his arm. He snarled. “This body is too weak for me.” The glowing eyes fixed on Shinta on the small rooftop. “I need something better.”

Shinta did not notice the attention or even where his arrow had ended up as the soldier that had thrown the shuriken had jumped him. They wrestled on top of the small roof until he finally flipped him off one side.

But Leo saw the sudden interest in his son and chanced a quick glance over his shoulder to see Shinta kick the soldier and sit up. Leo’s gaze shot back to Kyoudai, just as a horrible noise broke the air. His heart sunk as he saw the blackish smoke rise from Kyoudai, dropping the young man to the ground like a pile of dirty clothes. Leo only had an instant to react, flinging himself into its path.

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Young Leo led his team across the city to the warehouse. Keeping to the shadows, they crept up beside the building. Don set the explosive and detonator, while the other three stood guard. Mikey peeked through a window to see only a small contingent of Foot and Lanius inside. Leo gave the signal and they moved off to the roof of a nearby building.

“That wasn’t too bad.” Raph commented.

“Don’t jinx us, Raph.” Don muttered as he pulled out the controller.

“Whatever, let’s blow this joint and get out of here.”

Don glanced at Leo to be sure. “Do it.” The leader agreed.

The young genius did not wait for any further confirmation as he pressed the button. The trigger barely had a two second delay, before the side of the warehouse exploded into flames. Shouting and one horrible cry of pain ripped through the night. Mikey frowned, he had a feeling it was the doctor. They waited and watched as several Foot wandered aimlessly out of the building. Though they all seemed disoriented, none seemed significantly injured.

“Let’s go.” Leo turned, leading the way back. They were nearly half way back when a bright light filled the sky in the distance. Leo gasped. “That came from the direction of the lair! Hurry, guys!”

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

Shinta turned just in time to see the terrifying events unfold. The black aura swirled around his father, invading him. “No!” He made a mad leap, clearing his uncles and the Foot at once. At the same time an explosion rocked the night, a ball of flame shooting into the air in the distance. A second later the sounds of combat around the roof stopped. The soldiers began pulling off their hoods and staring at them. When the men saw they were surrounded by the clan of giant turtles they began to scatter like frightened rabbits to adjacent rooftops and down fire-escapes, wherever they could get.

Shinta slowly approached Leo. “Father?”

Leo threw up a hand to ward him off. “No! Stay back!” His mind was full of a dark fog. It felt as though something was attacking his very soul, wrapping it in an icy grip. He gripped his head and fell to his knees as a voice tried to pull him into a bottomless pit.

_Fool, you have given me an even greater prize than the whelp!_

_Stay away from him!_

_You no longer have a say in the matter. I will kill him and then I will cause this vessel to fling itself from the rooftop. But only after I have slaughtered your brood!_ The voice cackled. _They will be destroyed by your own hand!_

“Leo?” Raph took a step in his brother’s direction.

“Stay away! I don’t know if I can control this thing!” Leo struggled to keep conscious as the blackness in his mind tried to swallow him.

Mira moved from the doorway to K-three’s side, allowing Star and Cat to rush across the roof to where Yoshi still laid. Kaz was knelt beside him, a frown in place. “He’s still breathing. I think he’s okay, but he may have a concussion.”

“Oh, Yoshi.” Cat half lifted him into her lap as Star grabbed his hand.

Shinta dared to take a step closer to Leo. “Father, are you okay?” He reached for Leo’s trembling shoulder. In a flash of movement too quick to comprehend, Leo stood flinging his arm out and sending Shinta flying into the small greenhouse. Shinta gasped as he stared at his father with glowing red eyes. “Fight it, Father!”

A harsh gravely laugh came from Leonardo, which was completely unnatural. “Your father is no longer here, runt!” He moved towards Shinta, picking up one of his discarded katana. Shinta’s eyes widened as he scrambled to his feet, but Raph was quicker, blocking his path.

“Leo! What are you doin’! That’s your son!” The demon chose not to respond in words only to strike out with the blade. Raph caught it with his sai. “Stop this Leo! Fight ‘im, bro!”

The demon possessed turtle bared his teeth. “I’ve already told you! _He_ is no longer _here_!” With a flick of his wrist he sent Raph flying across the roof to hit one of the support walls for the access door. Raph groaned and rubbed his head.

Shinta pulled an arrow, his hands shaking as he nocked it into the bow. The demon turned slowly towards him in the visage of his father. Shinta swallowed. “Please, Father! I don’t want to hurt you!” Leo flicked his wrist again and it felt as if something ripped the bow from his hand. It flew across the roof to stop against the outer edge.

“How pathetic to think a child like you could hurt me!” Another flick of his wrist sent the quiver of arrows flying as well, scattering them across the roof. He took a step in Shinta’s direction again, but was once again blocked, this time by Don and Mikey.

“Leonardo! Get control of yourself!” Don held his bo at the ready.

“Yeah, we know you don’t want to do this!” Mikey pleaded. He definitely did not want to fight off his brother, especially when he likely had twice his normal speed and strength.

“Move!” Another wave of Leo’s arm sent his brothers careening towards the group huddled in the doorway. K-three and Kaz managed to half catch them and the four turtles tumbled to the ground. The exertion seemed to be a little too much for the demon as the red faded from his eyes.

Leo stumbled away from Shinta. “No! Stay away from my family!” He gripped his head, trying to maintain the sliver of control.

Shinta frowned at him and darted for his own fallen katana. “Salt!” He called to the others.

“Salt?” Mikey repeated. Then he and Donnie were scrambling for the bag with the supplies in it. Both were on their feet in seconds, starting at two separate points, creating a circle around Leo. The possessed turtle howled, his eyes turning red again. Shinta dove at him, holding him down as the circle was completed.

“Shinta! Get out of there!” Donnie shouted.

But Shinta knew he couldn’t break the circle now, even as his father rose to his feet with death in his red eyes. A single katana dangled dangerously in the older turtle’s hand. Shinta gripped the hilt of his own sword, his palms sweaty and his mouth dry. The air was oppressive within the circle and he struggled to breath.

The demon growled a hideous noise, that was so inhuman that it made the others cover their ears. In the flash of motion, Leo had Shinta pinned to the ground their swords grinding together as the young turtle fought for his life. “Father, please wake up!”

“He will not emerge again.” The demon hissed. “He is gone.”

“Leo, stop please!” Jamie was just outside the circle, the omamori clutched in her hands and tears streaking her cheeks.

Shinta stared up at his father’s face twisted and unrecognizable. His eyes softened. “Dad…I love you.”

The pressure on his sword lessened ever so slightly. Then Leo suddenly flung himself backwards into the invisible barrier, making his skin sizzle and burn.

_I will NOT let you hurt him!_

_You have no choice! He will die! They will all die!_

_I will stop you!_

_You are trapped forever with me. I will not release you._

Leo fell to his knees. Just beyond his fingertips lay one of the blessed arrows. _Then we will die together._

Shinta sat gaping at his father’s hunched and writhing form. Something landed beside him and he looked to see the omamori. His fingers wrapped around it, hoping beyond hope that he could use it properly. He hadn’t had time to study the scrolls Splinter had given him. He sensed movement in front of him and flicked his gaze up to see his father grasp the arrow and move to plunge it between his collar bone and plastron.

Jamie’s scream echoed his own as he flung himself forward. The omamori and arrow grazed one another. There was a blinding light and a roar that rattled the building beneath them. And then there was silence.


	14. Spark

The ringing in Shinta’s ears was nearly deafening as he came back to awareness. He pushed himself slowly into a sitting position, staring at his hands. They felt sticky. He turned them over to inspect them to find them coated in blood. _The demon! Father!_ His head shot up to find his father laying barely a foot away. It hurt to think, to breath. He shook as reached for him. “Father…”

The skin beneath his fingers was still warm but there was no outward sign of life. His chest didn’t appear to rise and fall with breath, and there was no flutter of a pulse when Shinta tried to find it. “No… No. No!” The arrow had struck true, its shaft holding the omamori where it had slipped through one of the star’s points. Blood spilled from the wound and down his neck and shoulder to pool beneath him.

There was movement beside Shinta and he looked up to find Jamie weeping hysterically into Leo’s chest. There were voices and movement encircling them now.

“Leo! Oh, shell!” Mikey choked on a suppressed sob.

Donnie knelt beside Jamie, taking his brother’s vital. “Oh, Leo, what did you do?”

Raph fell to his knees beside Shinta and reached out a trembling hand to rest it on Leo’s chest. “Leo…” His voice cracked. “Come on, bro. You can’t do this to us. We need you.”

Shinta grabbed Don’s arm in an iron grip. “Do something!”

Donnie shook his head in dismay, pain in his eyes. “Shinta, he’s not breathing and he has no pulse. If it were a simple matter of stopping the bleeding and repairing the damage, I could do that. But that mixed with the mental trauma…”

Jamie’s head came up. “You have to save him! You’ve saved Raph, Kaz, and Cat! You can save Leo! Please, Donnie!”

Tears trickled down his cheeks as he stared at her, his mouth hanging open. When he spoke the brokenness of his voice tore at their hearts. “Don’t you think I want to! I can’t! He’s gone!” He dropped his head. “Leo’s gone…”

“No!” Shinta took Leo’s face in his hands. “Father, please! Wake up!”

As weeping filled the night, Yoshi stirred. He opened his eyes, rubbing at his head. He blinked a few times to regain his focus. “Star?” She smiled sadly at him from her place knelt beside him, her own tears escaping. “What….What’s going on?”

“Leo…he…” She couldn’t say it, but she didn’t have to.

Yoshi was already on his feet, sprinting across the roof. As he approached the group, he felt his heart sink. “No…Uncle Leo….”

Raph’s head shot up. “Yoshi!” He stood, wrapping his son in his arms. He couldn’t stop his own tears as they broke free, a mixture of relief and sorrow. Cat was soon beside them, holding them as best she could. Yoshi continued to stare at his fallen uncle and younger cousin. But he couldn’t look long, instead he buried his face into his father’s shoulder, clutching at him and trembling with grief.

Shinta sobbed, feeling as though his very spirit was broken. _I’m alone now._

_Do not despair, my child. I am with you._

He sat back, scanning his surroundings desperately for the source of the soft feminine voice. “Mother?” Irrational hope burned is his chest as the others stared at him. “Mother! Help him!”

_I cannot. My strength is gone._

“No! You have to! Please, Mother!” Shinta was frantic as he looked around again.

Across from him, Jamie looked up. Her eyes puffy and red. “Oh, Shinta, sweetie…”

_I cannot. But you can._

Shinta shook his head, his eyes falling back to his father’s lifeless face. “How? He’s gone.”

_He is not. His spirit remains. Use your sight. See his spark._

Donnie frowned at his nephew, wondering if he was losing his mind. “Shinta…”

The young turtle closed his eyes, steadied his heartbeat, and evened his breath – focusing as she had taught him. When he opened them again, he gasped in surprise. She was right! His soul remained, but his light was far diminished – nearly gone in fact. “Father!” He grabbed Leo’s head in both hands. “Wake up!”

Donnie reached for him. “Shinta, he’s gone. I’m sorry.”

“No!” Shinta nearly shouted. “He’s alive. I can see it!”

Mikey knelt beside him. “Let him go, Shinta.” He started to pull the teen’s hands from Leo’s face.

But Shinta shoved him away. “No! Mother, tell me what to do!”

 _Energy sharing…_ Came the voice soft and distant, nearly inaudible even in the deafening silence of the rooftop.

“Energy sharing?” But if he attempted using his own energy, it would likely kill him. His father’s spirit was so dim. “I don’t understand!” No response came and the panic rose in him again. “Mother, don’t leave!”

An image flickered in his mind like a slideshow. A ring of light – many hands clasped together – the blazing on a candle – a speck of light bursting into a sun. That was it! He understood. He took hold of the arrow and before anyone could stop him, he yanked it out.

The other gasped, but Don caught Shinta’s hand, his eyes noticing something even in the darkness. Only the arrowhead held blood. The shaft was clean. That meant it hadn’t gone deep enough to penetrate his heart. But then why was Leo dead?

Shinta dropped the arrow, the omamori still dangling from it. He stood, turning to the others. “You have to listen to me. He’s still alive. His soul is injured, but it’s still there. I need everyone’s help. We can heal him. We can save him.”

Jamie reached up, grabbing his hand and pulling him down to her. “Shinta, please. I know how much you love him. I love him too. But…”

He gripped her shoulders. “You have to trust me. There isn’t much time. The longer we wait the farther away he slips.”

Raph looked over at Mira. “Can you sense him?”

She pulled away from K-three, stepping closer to Leo. “No.” She said sadly after a moment. “I can’t. There’s nothing.”

Shinta stood again, grabbing her wrist. “We’re running out of time! Please, let me try! If I can’t save him at least I’ll know I did everything I could!”

Sarah, who’d been sitting beside Donnie, rose and stepped around to Shinta. “Okay, what do you want us to do?”

Shinta’s eyes shined with gratitude. “Everyone hold hands, make a circle around us.”

As the others did as he asked. Jamie looked up at him worriedly. “What do you plan to do?”

“It’s called energy sharing.” He knelt down across from her again.

“Like you did at the farmhouse with Amaya?”

He nodded. “Yes, but this will take a lot more energy. I’ll have to use some from everyone and I’ll have to act as a conduit.” He frowned. “I’ve never done this before. I don’t know if it’ll work or not.”

Her hand wrapped around his. “We have faith in you.”

He took a deep breath. “Everyone think about my father, focus your mind and soul on him. I’ll do the rest.” He told the group.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

The younger team of turtles barreled through the lair and up the stairs. But when they reached the roof, young Leo stopped in the doorway. The energy pulsing on the roof was like nothing he’d ever felt before. They couldn’t see much past the ring of clan members holding each other’s hands. The circle was tight and the mood solemn. He backed away. This was not something they should intrude on.

“What are you doing?” Young Mikey asked behind him.

“We shouldn’t disturb them. There’s something going on.” Leo felt his skin prickle. “We’ll wait.”

Shinta could see the flow of energy with his spiritual eyes and pulled it into himself, sending it into his father in shockwaves. Even with everyone else’s help, he could feel the drain on his own reserves. Jamie let out a sharp gasp as Leo’s chest rose beneath her hand. Shinta was able to send out one last burst of energy, before his own body gave out on him and he slumped across his father.

“Shinta!” Jamie cried and the circle was broken as Donnie rushed to his side.

After a moment he let out a heavy breath. “He’s okay. He’s just passed out.”

“Whatever he did must’ve took a lot out of him.” Raph commented, leaning close with concern.

Then the rest gasped as Leo’s eyes fluttered open. Jamie gave a cry of joy, her tears beginning all over again. His gaze sought hers out and held it for a long moment as the gentle pink and orange rays of dawn caressed his cheek. Then slowly he closed his eyes again with a soft shuddering breath.

“Leo!” Don grabbed his brother’s wrist, searching franticly for a pulse. But his worries were soon abated. He sighed. “He’s stable.” Then his gaze went back to the wound in chest, that was now bleeding again. “I need the first aid kit.”

“It’s in the stairwell.” Sarah said from nearby.

“I’ll get it.” Ona released Kaz to run back to the open doorway, only to find it full of more turtles with petrified looks on their faces.

Young Don had heard the call for the kit and presented it to her. “Is everyone alright?”

She frowned. “They are now.” As she turned and ran back to the others, the younger set of brothers followed a bit tentatively.

Young Leo stared in horror at his older self laying on the ground with blood pooling beneath him. Don looked over his shoulder at his brother. “Raph, could you take Shinta?”

Raph moved forward to lift his nephew. He grunted, the youth’s weight a little too much. The injury sustained to his shoulder a few years earlier still hurt from time to time. Yoshi’s hand landed on his arm. “I’ve got ‘im, Dad.” The younger turtle bent and lifted his unconscious cousin with ease that Raph now envied. The younger set of brothers stared as Yoshi carried Shinta away.

On the ground, Leo moaned softly. “I’m sorry, bro, but I’ve got to see how deep it is.” Don muttered as he probed the wound. Sarah knelt across from him, holding a flashlight. Young Leo’s hand rose to the place on his own body. He could feel the thump of his heart just beneath his hand. What had happened here? He wondered just how close he’d come to seeing his own death.

Mikey knelt beside Don and took one of Leo’s hands in his. “It’ll be okay now. We’ve got you, bro.” Tears still trailed down Mikey’s cheeks as he squeezed his brother’s hand. Jamie sat clutching his other hand, her knuckles white and her palms clammy.

When Don was at last done examining and repairing the wound, he turned to Mira. “Sweetheart, would you get a sheet to carry him down on?” Mira nodded and disappeared down the stairs. Don wiped his hands on a towel from the first aid kit. “Man, Leo, could you have cut it any closer?” If the arrow had penetrated even a hair further it would have pierced his heart.

“Damn it!” Raph growled. “I’m so sick of this self-sacrificing shit!” But his tough bravado broke and he dropped his face into his hands, a sob ripping its way out of his throat. Cat rubbed his arm warmly, knowing his pain.

“Raph…” Young Leo took a step towards the older turtle.

Raph’s head shot up, piercing him with a cold glare. He pointed a shaky finger at him. “You’re a self-righteous little shit, you know that! We nearly lost you tonight!” Young Leo took a step back, shock in his eyes.

“Raph.” Don warned with a shake of his head. “He doesn’t understand. He hasn’t lived our lives yet. He doesn’t know the grief and loss we’ve suffered.”

“He may not. But _he_ sure as hell has!” Raph jabbed a finger at his brother laying prone on the ground. He spun on his heel and stomped off, slamming his fist into the outer wall of the stairwell.

Don groaned and Cat sighed. “I’ll go talk to him.”

He gave her a grateful look. “Thanks.” Don rubbed his face, feeling suddenly very tired and very old.

“Could you, dudes, tell us what happened?” Young Mikey asked.

“Later.” K-three took the sheet from Mira and moved towards Leo. “Right now we need to get him downstairs.”

“I’ll help.” Yoshi said as he reappeared. They spread out the sheet and eased Leo onto it. Yoshi took one end, while Kaz and K-three took the other. As gently as they could they lifted him.

Jamie caught Donnie’s arm. “Could you put him in our room?”

He gave a slow nod. “Okay, but you’ll need to watch him.”

“I’ve nearly lost him twice in less than thirty-six hours. I don’t plan on leaving his side for the rest of my life.”

Her response made his lips twitch in a small smile. “You sound like Sarah.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Jamie said cheekily and hurried after the boys carrying her spouse.

Cat had managed to calm Raph down and so as the others left the roof, he and Mikey made their way to the lifeless form laying on the far side. Raph squatted down beside it. “Man, Leo did a real number on ‘im.” Kyoudai was covered in deep slashes that no doubt would have killed a normal man after just a few.

Mikey nudged him with his foot. “Yeah, that demon must have been the only thing keeping him on his feet.”

“Well, we’re gonna have to do somethin’ with ‘im.”

“Does it really matter? He doesn’t really exist here?”

“Yeah, but we don’t want to draw any attention to us, Mike. Better to bury him down by the underground river like we did Shinju, so nobody knows any difference.”

Mikey sighed. “I’ll get some garbage bags.”

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Katsu giggled as he chased the ball down the hall. He could see the portal through the open lab door, but knew not to go in there. It was against the rules unless he was with someone. And everyone was mostly sleeping right now. Something had happened last night, not that anyone was talking about it. All he knew was his uncle and cousin were sleeping and he had to be quiet.

He turned and bounced the ball back up the hall, chasing after it. He did this several times, making a game at seeing how fast he could catch it. But after chasing it down, he paused to stare at the figure inside the lab. Something was vaguely familiar about the person, but he wasn’t sure. He backed away with a touch of fear.

“Do not be afraid, little one.”

Katsu bit his lip, glancing towards his parents’ room. “Who are you? Did you come through the portal?”

“I did.” The person didn’t move, perhaps sensing the child’s uncertainty.

“Katsu?” Mira appeared down the hall. She’d sensed his slight fear. A moment later Sarah stepped from her and Don’s room as well. Mira reached the four-year-old first. She scooped him up. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Katsu pointed and Mira followed his gaze. Her eyes grew round and she nearly dropped the tot.

Sarah had reached them now and she turned to look into the lab, where they were staring. She felt her heart skip a beat. “Master Splinter…”

The old rat gave her a critical look. “Sarah?”

She moved forward in a daze. Slowly she reached out to touch him. Was this what Leo had felt when he’d seen Amaya’s dimensional counterpart appear in their home all those years ago? Like seeing a ghost made flesh. When her fingers touched the rough texture of his kimono, she wrapped her arms around him so fast he was taken off guard. “It’s so amazing to see you. It’s been so long.”

Splinter leaned back to look at her with her graying hair, then his gaze shifted to Mira. “Who…?”

Sarah smiled as she released him. “This is Mira, our daughter, and Katsu, our grandson.” She rubbed affectionately on the little turtle’s head.

Mira smiled weakly, her heart still trying to catch up with her. “Sofu.”

Katsu frowned. “He’s not Sofu. He’s not a turtle.”

Mira chuckled. “But he is my sofu, sweetie. He would be your sōsofu.”

“Sarah? Is everything alright?” Donnie’s voice carried down the hall, a moment before he appeared in the doorway. His mouth hung open at the sight that met him. “F…Father…” He swayed and Sarah rushed to support him. He wrapped an arm around her, but his eyes never left Splinter. “What…” Don found he was suddenly at a loss for words.

“See Sofu is a turtle.” Katsu told his mother with a little giggle.

His little voice seemed to snap Donnie from his trance. He straightened. “Father, what are you doing here?”

“It has been well over a full day. I grew worried.” Splinter explained simply.

Donnie gave a small nod. “Mira, call the others and have them come up here. It’s time for them to go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's only one or two chapters to go. Don't forget about my poll on ffnet.


	15. Tomorrow's Faith Today

Leo opened his eyes slowly to stare at the familiar ceiling of his bedroom. How was he alive? He’d expected to die with the demon. His hand went to the place the arrow had pierced him. His fingers brushed the surface of a bandage and he winced a bit.

“Careful.” He turned his head to the soft familiar voice beside him. Jamie smiled at him, taking his hand gently in her own. “Donnie will give me a lecture, if you pull something loose.”

That made sense. Somehow his brother had saved him. “Donnie did this?”

“Yes, but it’s really Shinta you should thank.” She frowned, stroking his cheek tenderly. “He saved you, Leo.”

“Shinta…is he…?”

“He’s okay. He’s been sleeping. The other Leo has been sitting with him.” He let out a heavy breath, the last of the tension leaving him. Beside him Jamie frowned. “Leo you said I wouldn’t lose you, and then you went and did this.” Her hand rested softly on top of his wound.

He sighed. “I know. I’m sorry. It was the only thing I could think of.” He shuddered slightly. “I was losing the fight. It would have won. Shinta and the rest of you would have died, if I hadn’t done something.”

Jamie scooted up so she could look down at him. “I know. But when I thought you were gone, I was so terrified.” Her eyes glistened with tears. “I love you so much.” She kissed him warmly.

He ran his fingers through her gray and light brown locks. “I love you too.”

Mira’s voice broke over the intercom into the silent hallway. “Will everyone please come to the lab.”

“Come on, let’s go see what Donnie wants.” Leo grunted as he sat up, the motion pulling at his wound.

Jamie scrambled around to his side. “No, you’re still badly injured. You don’t need to be up yet.”

“I’m fine.”

Jamie frowned. “That hole in your chest doesn’t say you’re fine.” Her tears threatened to escape her and Leo frowned, touching her cheek.

“I’m not going into battle, just down one flight of stairs.” He pushed himself to his feet. “Besides, I think Don is sending the others home.”

Jamie steadied him, her frown never leaving. “Okay, let’s just take it kind of slow though.”

He gave a small nod and she helped him into the hall, just as young Leo and Shinta came from his room. “Father!” He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around him.

Leo released Jamie to embrace his son tightly. “Shinta,” his voice broke, “are you alright? Did I hurt you?”

“No.” Shinta half sobbed, clinging to his father, who’d been mostly dead a few hours ago.

Leo shuddered, remembering the fear on his son’s face. He never wanted to see that look again. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Shinta’s grip on him tightened. “It wasn’t you. _It wasn’t you.”_

As much as Leo wanted to believe his words, he knew it was still him. The demon might have been controlling him, but he had been weak enough to allow it. And he’d nearly lost his son because of that weakness. “Thank you for saving me, Shinta. I am so very proud of you.”

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Don couldn’t help but stare at Splinter, who’d been gone for so long. Splinter for his part was mystified by the turtle that looked as old as him. The room was filled with a silence that neither knew how to fill. Finally Splinter broke it, looking at the small turtle. “I have a great-grandson?”

Don smiled at the tot clinging to his knee. “Yeah, Katsu is three now.”

“May I?” He gestured to Katsu and Donnie grinned.

“Of course!”

Sarah pulled a chair out. “Sit here, Master Splinter.”

As the old rat took the seat, Don picked up his grandson. “Katsu, this is my father.”

He sat Katsu gently in Splinter’s lap and the tot stared at him in confusion. He shook his head and looked up at Donnie. “But he’s not a turtle.” He protested again.

“No, I found your grandfather and his brothers when they were very small. I raised them as my own sons.” Splinter looked up at Don. “And they have grown into fine men it appears.”

Don smiled as Mira returned to the doorway, K-three now with her. “They’re on their way.” She smiled at the sight of Splinter holding Katsu. It was something she’d never even tried to imagine. K-three smiled behind her, feeling her joy wash over him. He placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Mikey groggily stepped through the door, rubbing at his eyes. He and Raph had only been back two hours or so. Thus they’d only managed a small nap before being summoned to the lab. He blinked at Splinter and squinted. “Man, I must be dreaming.”

Kala’s eyes widened. “If you are, so am I.”

Raph and Cat stepped in a moment later. He stopped, his mouth hanging open. “Master Splinter?”

Mikey rubbed his face again. “You having the same dream too?”

“You are not dreaming, Michelangelo. I arrived a few moments ago through the portal.” Splinter explained as the tot squirmed out of his arms and ran to his father. He didn’t seem to be bothered by the action as he stood. “I have come to retrieve…” He paused unsure of how to classify his sons when there were two sets of them.

But he didn’t have a chance as Kaz, Ona, and Yoshi stepped into the doorway. Kaz blinked, then glanced at his father. “Is that-?”

“Yeah.” Mikey smiled. “Master, this is my son Kaz and his wife Ona.” He gestured at the couple.

Splinter smiled at them, then raised an eyebrow at Yoshi. “And I can easily assume, you are Raphael’s.”

Yoshi blushed slightly. “Uh, yeah.”

Raph couldn’t help the grin as he wrapped an arm around his son’s shoulder. “Yeah, it ain’t hard to tell who Yoshi belongs too.”

Beside him, Cat snickered. “In so many ways.” Lingering in the doorway, Star snickered as well.

Their little reunion was cut short as the younger Mikey, Raph, and Donnie arrived. The trio looked exhausted. While the others had rested, they had taken up the watch. Even though it was unlikely there would be any new attack, everyone had felt better if someone stayed alert. And as they had suffered the least in the past two days, they had volunteered. The three’s eyes lit up at the sight of Splinter. “Sensei!” They all chimed, rushing forward.

Splinter Smiled. “My sons, it is time to go home.” Then he paused, noticing a significant absence. “Where is Leonardo?”

“I’m here, Master Splinter.” Young Leo hurried around the corner to join them. But Splinter’s gaze only rested on him a moment as it moved past him. Standing in the doorway, clutching the frame with one had for support, was the older Leonardo. The turtle’s eyes widened in shock. For a moment they held each other’s gaze, until Raph cursed.

“Damn it, Leo! What the hell do you think you’re doin’!” He moved towards his brother, trying to suppress the desire to smack him upside the head.

Don was moving as well, taking Leo’s arm from Jamie. “What are you doing? You’re going to crush Jamie.” She gave Don a grateful look behind Leo’s back and rubbed her shoulder when he took his brother’s weight.

Raph was on Leo’s other side, a hand beneath his arm. “I swear, Leo. I’m gonna wring your neck if you kill over now.” He half muttered as they lowered him into a chair Sarah had dragged over quickly.

But Leo was still staring at Splinter. “Father.” He inclined his head, not able to do much else.

Don shot Jamie a quick glance. “You were supposed to be keeping an eye on him, not letting him wander around.”

She shrugged. “Yeah, you try making him listen to reason.” Behind her, Shinta grinned.

Don sighed. “Point taken.” He turned his attention to his brother. This was the first time he’d seen him awake since the battle. He knelt beside him, taking his wrist in his hand, checking his vitals. “How do you feel, bro?”

Leo slowly tore his eyes from Splinter to look down at his brother. “Not great.” He admitted honestly. In truth, he felt like death warmed over. But he was still trying to mask most of his discomfort. And the statement would likely only draw more concern from his family.

“What has happened?”

The two looked up at Splinter. But his question was directed more to Donnie. “He was injured in battle. He nearly died. If it hadn’t been for Shinta, he would have.” Don answered quietly.

“Nearly?” Mikey snorted. “Don’t sugar coat it, Don. He _did_ die. But Shinta managed to bring him back.” He couldn’t help but feel a touch of anger mixed with a lot sadness towards Leo. He’d nearly sacrificed himself for them. And that was not supposed to happen. They were a team – a family. They conquered problems together, not like that.

Leo shot him a sorrowful look and Mikey’s scowl instantly vanished, replaced with one of pain. Leo placed a hand over his bandage. “I’m sorry.” He’d obviously hurt them by what he’d done. But given his options, he would have done it again. He dropped his gaze to his lap with a frown.

Shinta’s hands rested on his father’s shoulders. “You have nothing to be sorry about, Father. You saved us all.”

Leo shook his head. “No, if I had been stronger, that demon would have never been able to take control of me.” He clenched his eyes shut. “I failed you.”

Splinter’s fur covered hand suddenly rested on the top of Leo’s head. It was an all too familiar sensation, long lost and long desired. It reminded him of his youth, when things were still black and white, still simple, and all he longed for was a kind word or gentle touch from his father. “You have not failed, Leonardo.” He looked up at Splinter questioningly. “You have done far from it, in fact.” Splinter’s gaze surveyed the room full and bursting at the seams. “Look around you, my son. True strength does not come from within ourselves, but from those that love us and we love in return.” Jamie came to kneel beside Leo and take his hand as Splinter continued.  “And from what I have seen there is vast strength and love within your clan.”

Leo swallowed, fighting the lump in his throat. “Thank you, Father.”

Splinter sighed. “Now, we must go.”

“I’m sorry, Master, but they can’t leave yet.” Don told him. “They have knowledge of the future –too much knowledge. If they went back now, it would contaminate the timeline.”

Splinter frowned. “What do you propose then?”

“Mira, K-three and I worked up a way to wipe our short-term memories.” Young Donnie explained.

Splinter glanced at the older Donatello. “Is this necessary?”

The older turtled nodded, solemnly. “I’m afraid so.”

Mira stepped forward. “It won’t take long, but the shock will cause them to lose consciousness for a short time.”

Splinter gave a small nod. “How long?”

“About an hour.” She moved across the room to a device where four metal rings lay ready for use.

“So, we won’t remember any of this?” Young Mikey asked, glancing at Kala and Kaz.

She shook her head, adjusting a dial. “No, I will set it to wipe the last two days from your memory. You won’t even remember Shinta coming to ask for help.”

“Then we should probably say our goodbyes.” Young Leo said with a touch of sadness. He turned to his older self. “It’s been kind of neat getting to know everyone. I even learned a few things from you.”

Shinta chuckled behind his father. “To bad you’re going to have to forget them.”

Leo shot the younger set of brothers a glance and smiled slightly. “Just try to be patient with them.” Young Leo just smiled and nodded.

Young Raph stepped over to his future family. He smirked, eyeing Cat as she curled into his older self’s side. “You know, I gotta admit. My future wife is hot.”

Raph let out a rumbling chuckle as he pulled Cat closer with a wicked grin. “Ain’t she. And you don’t know the half of it.”

Yoshi made a face. “Ew, Dad, don’t go there.” He glanced at the younger version of his father. “It was…. cool havin’ you guys here. Cool but strange.”

Young Mikey grinned up at his future son. “So, uh, when are you two going to have a kid?” Kaz and Ona both stared at him slack-jawed, while beside them Kala and Mikey started to laugh.  The young turtle blinked at them. “What? Donnie got to have a grandkid? I was just wondering if I was going to get one?”

Kaz face palmed and Ona started to giggle. Kaz finally composed himself enough to step forward and take the younger Mikey’s shoulders, turning him to where Mira had set up the machine. “Let’s just say, we haven’t discussed it yet.”

Young Don looked around the room and then nervously at his own future family. As awesome as it was to have a daughter, son-in-law, and grandson, his gaze never failed to settle on Sarah. She stood beside his older and much larger self, holding his hand. She frowned a bit as she met his eyes. He sighed and turned to Mira. “It was really great getting to know you two. You’re both brilliant.” He smiled at them, then squatted to say goodbye to Katsu. “You be good for your mom and dad, okay?”

The tot nodded. “Okay.” He still wasn’t entirely certain what to make of young Don. But he was far more relaxed with him than Splinter.

Young Don stood and once again glanced at Sarah. This time she released her mate’s hand to take the few steps between them. She embraced him and he shuddered, his arms automatically tightening around her. Even though this was not his Sarah from his time, it still hurt to leave her. “Have faith.” She whispered softly before pecking his cheek. She gave his hand a squeeze, then moved back to her mate. The older Don had tensed the moment she’d moved away from him, but he’d managed to restrain himself. Their encounter was brief and he sighed with relief when she stepped back into his arms.

Mira had the younger set of brothers sit on two cots with the metal rings on their heads. The room was silent, except for the hum of the small machine. The four let out a gasp in unison when she pressed the switch, then collapsed against the wall behind them. Mira checked the machine to be certain all had gone as it should. At last she turned to the others. “Everything seems to have gone correctly. Their short-term memories have been cleaned.”

“Then we should probably get them home, before they wake up.” Raph pointed out.

“We’ll take them. Come on guys.” K-three moved forward, lifting young Don into his arms almost gingerly. Kaz and Yoshi followed suit. But when Shinta went to move, Leo caught his hand.

“Are you sure you can carry him?”

Shinta smiled. “Yeah, I’m fine. All I need was sleep.” Leo nodded and watched as Shinta picked up his younger self.

K-three led the way through the portal, followed by Kaz, Yoshi and Shinta. Splinter paused before stepping through to look once again at his sons. “I am proud you, my sons. All of you.” With that he turned and stepped through the glowing doorway.

Shinta had taken the point, already leading the way back to the old lair. Splinter quickly caught up with him, ensuring their path was correct. When they arrived at the old lair, Splinter had them lay the brothers into their beds. Kaz, Yoshi and Shinta gazed around curiously in their respective alcoves. Even K-three couldn’t prevent an inquisitive glance around Donnie’s alcove. But he quickly withdrew. “These guys are safe now. We need to get home ourselves. I don’t want to risk getting stuck here with Mira there.”

The other three complied quickly, saying their goodbyes to Splinter. Shinta hugged the old rat. “Thank you so much, Sofu. Your gifts helped in ways you could not imagine.” He sighed. “My father would have died last night without them.”

Splinter returned the warm embrace. “I will always do what I can to protect my family.”

An hour after Shinta and the others had left, the younger turtles roused. Mikey groaned. “Boy, do I feel lousy.”

“Yeah, I feel like I’ve been chewed up and spit out.” Donnie rubbed at his throbbing head.

“Ah, my sons, you are awake.” Splinter entered their shared room, carrying a tray with hot soup.

“Man, Sensei, what happened to us?” Raph sat up groggily.

“You have all been ill for several days.” Splinter handed Leo a bowl.

“Ill?” Leo couldn’t recall becoming ill.

“Yes, it was quite severe, but it seems the danger has finally passed.” Splinter handed out the rest of the bowls. “Do you not remember becoming ill?”

There were several murmurs of no. “The last thing I remember was watching a movie and eating an anchovies, hot sauce, and olive pizza.” Mikey said.

“Those anchovies must have been bad.” Don grumbled.

“Yes, I believe that may have been the cause. You all still need rest. So, eat and then sleep some more, my sons.” Splinter was relieved to know they didn’t seem to remember anything. He smiled to himself as he left the room, knowing their future was safe.

Donnie reached for his bowl, which Splinter had set on his desk, when he noticed he’d been clutching something in his hand. He opened it to see a small scrap of paper. On it was a single word in a handwriting that was vaguely familiar. “Faith.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have removed the epilogue to cut down on confusion. Because you all loved this family so much I brought them back for more love! See "Broken Again" to continue the adventure.


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